


Marks

by twtd



Series: Emancipation [5]
Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Agent Praisekink, Alternate Universe - BDSM, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F, Threesome - F/F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-14
Updated: 2018-03-31
Packaged: 2019-03-31 10:09:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 36,349
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13972791
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twtd/pseuds/twtd
Summary: Lucy watched Alex go. It was then that she noticed the slim collar around Alex’s neck. She blinked in surprise. It seemed a lot had changed while she was gone and she pushed away a bit of jealousy for whoever managed to get Alex to submit like that.Alex, Maggie, and Lucy try to navigate each other and the past.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a continuation of Emancipation, my BDSM AU. I don't think you necessarily have to have read that to understand this but it would probably help. It also means Maggie and Alex are in a consensual 24/7 bdsm relationship though like I said, everything is consensual. 
> 
> If the beginning of this seems familiar, it's because it started as a shorter piece that I've already posted.

Lucy raised an eyebrow skeptically as she wandered down the nondescript alley and approached the heavy door. There was a window with a smaller door cut out of it and it made Lucy roll her eyes. She didn’t think Danvers would be into a hipster cocktail bar, though she could almost see Kara at one if James had turned her onto it. But she wasn’t meeting Kara. She was meeting Alex. She tapped the requisite number of times then gave the bouncer the password before the door opened and she was granted entrance. She looked around curiously. It looked… just like any other bar. Not a hipster in sight. She looked closer.

Oh.

Oh. Well, that was different. Another thorough sweep of the room and everything came together. The people who were bigger or smaller than a human could be. The customer with the… was that a tail? The general lack of designation bands. This was an alien bar. That was why there was so much security.

A hand caught Lucy’s elbow and she startled before she recognized the voice in her ear saying, “stop standing in the doorway.” Alex escorted Lucy into the bar and to their table and deposited her on her side of the booth. “Their mozzarella sticks are amazing if you’re hungry,” Alex continued. “I’m pretty sure they put something in them that isn’t from around here.”

It took Lucy a minute to catch up. “Whoa,” Lucy held her hands up. “Maybe give me a second to breathe. I’m still jet-lagged.” Lucy had only gotten into the city the night before and had barely fended off Kara’s party plans. There was still going to be a party but it was going to wait until the weekend.

“Right. Sorry,” Alex said. “Why don’t you let me get you a beer?” This time she waited for Lucy’s nod before she started to move. “You still drink that shitty IPA?” she asked.

“If they have it. If not, I’ll drink whatever,” Lucy shrugged. You couldn’t be too picky when you were out in the desert. You could barely get anything at all if you weren’t on leave. Leave had been a long time ago but she was stateside again and happy for it.

Alex nodded, her eyes sparkling with mischief as she turned toward the bar and grabbed their drinks.

Lucy watched Alex go. It was then that she noticed the slim collar around Alex’s neck. She blinked in surprise. It seemed a lot had changed while she was gone and she pushed away a bit of jealousy for whoever managed to get Alex to submit like that. Alex had always seemed too opposed to the idea for Lucy to even think about trying.

“Beautiful, isn’t she?” a woman asked as she slid into the booth opposite Lucy.

“She is,” Lucy answered calmly. “But who, exactly, are you?” Lucy asked. This was the second time someone had snuck up on her in one night. She normally had better situational awareness than that.

Just then Alex returned and dropped a kiss on the other woman’s lips. “Scoot over, babe,” she said as the woman was already moving. The other woman offered Lucy her hand as Alex put down the three drinks she was carrying. “Maggie Sawyer,” she said as she shook Lucy’s hand. “And you must be Major Lane.”

“It’s actually Lieutenant Colonel now, but you can call me Lucy.” Lucy nodded her thanks to Alex for the drink.

"When did that happen?" Alex asked looking impressed. Maggie grabbed her drink and took a sip, waiting for Lucy to answer.

"The new job requires a higher rank. It’s early but I wasn’t going to say no." Lucy wasn't sure how much she could say around Maggie. Sure she was with Alex but Alex could still be using her FBI cover.

"That's great," Alex said. "Since we've moved most of our operations to the city, Maggie's been our unofficial NCPD liaison," Alex added.

"Right," Lucy said. That would make things a little easier. "I actually surprised you didn't go for the job," Lucy added. "It's the next step for you, isn't it?"

Alex started to peel the label off of her beer bottle. "I'm good where I am," she shrugged. "And I wouldn't have gotten to work with Supergirl as much, so…" Alex shrugged again. "Congratulations to you though. On the job and the promotion." Alex raised her bottle. Maggie and Lucy both joined her, clinking their bottles against hers.

The atmosphere wasn't particularly cheerful anymore. Sensing she was bringing it down, Alex excused herself to the restroom.

"Kara would have followed back out there and we both know it. They're a package deal," Lucy said. "So what's actually going on?" It came out more gently that Lucy intended.

Maggie sighed before she answered. "J'onn warned her that she wouldn't get the job," Maggie said but she kept her voice low. "He read their minds for her and warned her not to apply because he thought that if she drew attention to herself, they might try to take away what she already has." Maggie looked at her as if questioning whether she should have told Lucy. But Alex trusted her so Maggie was going to trust her too. "She really is happy for you. She's glad that if anyone got it, it was you. She trusts you with her people. It's been rough though."

Lucy nodded in understanding, "Yeah, I get that. I'll try not to…" Lucy shrugged. She wasn't sure exactly what she could do but she was going to do her best not to make it worse.

Just then Alex returned to the table with a round of shots and a smile back on her face.

“So, what’re we talking about?” Alex slid into the booth and put her arm around Maggie’s shoulders, pulling Maggie into her body.

“I was just telling Lucy about the slime alien from last week,” Maggie smiled up at Alex and cuddled into her side.

“Did you mention the smell? Because you can’t understand just how terrible that day was without the smell,” Alex said as she played with Maggie’s hair.

“Yeah, she told me about the smell,” Lucy shook her head and played along. She picked up one of the shot glasses and raised it up. Alex and Maggie followed her lead. “To National City’s revolving door of disgusting,” she toasted. “I didn’t miss it but I’m glad I’m back.” They all tossed back their shots before moving on to more pleasant topics.

 

***

Maggie was holding Alex's hand as they crossed the threshold to their apartment. They were both a little tipsy from the drinks at the bar and it left them even more handsy than normal. As soon as they were inside, Maggie spun Alex around until she was facing her and promptly put her hands in the back pockets of Alex’s jeans. She squeezed Alex’s ass and pulled her closer. “I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever,” she said as she started peppering Alex’s neck with kisses.

“That’s because you haven’t gotten to tie me up in a week,” Alex responded. She wrapped her arms around Maggie’s shoulders. “And you’ve had too much to drink to do it tonight.” Maggie pouted but after a moment she sighed. “I know.” She kept nuzzling Alex’s neck though. Her kisses turned into light bites. She gently took Alex’s collar in her teeth and tugged reminding both of them it was there. The pull against her neck made Alex suck in a sharp breath. Maggie playing with her collar was one of the surest ways to turn her on and this time was no exception. She hummed in approval and started to let her hands roam up and down Maggie’s torso.

It had been almost six months since Maggie had first put the collar on her and it was a day she would never forget. The uncertain look on Maggie’s face was what had made her so certain that she wanted it. She hadn’t taken it off since and she didn’t want to. She loved belonging to Maggie and it was simple nights like these that she loved the most.

“How do you want me?” She husked into Maggie’s ear as she pressed harder into Maggie’s body.

Maggie squeezed Alex’s ass and picked her up just a bit before she put her back down in the direction on the bed. “I want you naked, in bed, and holding onto the headboard,” Maggie growled. “And I want you there five minutes ago.” Maggie slapped Alex’s ass as Alex tripped over to the bed, shedding clothing as she went. Once she got there, she settled face down and grabbed two of the slats in the headboard.

“That wasn’t exactly what I had in mind,” Maggie said as she sauntered over, taking her own clothes off in the process.

“I know,” Alex said as she wiggled further down into the sheets, “but I want you to spank me and that’s hard to do if I’m on my back.” Maggie rolled her eyes affectionately as she crawled onto the bed next to Alex. She smiled indulgently and preened. It wasn’t too far in the past that Alex wouldn’t have admitted to what she wanted, let alone actually told Maggie and Maggie was incredibly proud of her sub for being able to articulate her desires now. It had taken both of them a lot of work to get to this point and whenever Alex asked for something specific Maggie tried to give it to her. Alex had yet to abuse the privilege and Maggie didn’t think she ever would. She was far too focused on being good to get bratty on Maggie.

“Say please,” Maggie said as she kissed the small of Alex’s back, “and I’ll be happy to.”

“Yes ma’am,” Alex mumbled into her sheets. The tip of her ears were red. She lifted her head and looked directly at Maggie knowing that was what Maggie wanted. “Will you please spank me, ma’am?” As soon as she was finished asking, the rest of her face flushed and she buried her face in her arms.

Maggie chuckled good-naturedly and rubbed a hand across Alex’s ass. “Knees under you, please,” It was phrased as a request but Alex knew it was an order. She let go of the headboard long enough to shift her body into place then grabbed the headboard again. Maggie got into position and stroked her hand down Alex’s ass once again before pulling back and slapping it. Alex tensed her hands around the slats but didn’t otherwise react. Maggie wasn’t hitting her particularly hard so it was going to take a bit of time for her to really start feeling it.

Careful to keep a close eye on Alex, Maggie built up a steady rhythm of spanks watching as Alex’s ass turned red and started to heat up. Building up sensations like this was one of her favorite things to do to Alex, build them up until Alex was a wet, whimpering mess. She wasn't quite there yet but she was close.

Alex started rocking back into Maggie’s hand, shivers of pleasure radiating up her spine. It was when she started whispering, “Please, please, please,” like a mantra that Maggie knew she was ready. Maggie steadied Alex with a hand on her hip. She used her other hand to reach between Alex’s legs and found her soaked, wetness painting her thighs and dripping onto the bed. Alex arched back and the bed frame creaked with the force of it. She looked up at Alex and their eyes met. Alex’s pupils were wide open and there was sweat at her temples.

“Not until I tell you to, okay?” Maggie was already circling Alex’s clit with a finger but ever so lightly. Alex shifted her fingers and nodded as she said, “yes ma’am.”

Maggie smiled in pride and pleasure. She knew Alex would do everything she could to please her, even if it meant waiting another hour for her orgasm. Maggie wasn’t going to make her wait that long though. She started working Alex’s clit with intent now but stopped as she had another thought. Alex whined as if she were actually in pain as Maggie lunged for the nightstand. She pulled out Alex’s favorite dildo and the lube. A harness would take more time than she wanted to spend. Her hands would have to do. She quickly covered the dildo with lube, not that it was really necessary with how wet Alex was, and, without ceremony, pushed it into Alex. Alex yelped in pleasure and made the headboard move with how strongly she pulled at it trying to push the dildo further into herself.

“That’s it, baby. Take my cock,” Maggie said, then she nipped at Alex’s ass. If Alex said anything, it was incoherent. After that, Maggie didn’t tease her. She fucked Alex just the way she knew Alex loved to be fucked and rubbed her fingers over Alex’s clit again. Alex fought valiantly against her orgasm, but once she was close, Maggie didn’t make her wait. She only had to whisper, “come for me,” before Alex was doing exactly that. Maggie caught her as she collapsed down onto the bed. She pulled Alex close, wrapping Alex up in her arms as she recovered. As Alex clung to her, Maggie slowly removed the dildo. It made Alex shudder again and Alex whimpered as another small orgasm rocked through her.

Alex managed to roll over where she could press her face into Maggie’s neck. With no grace, she flopped an arm around Maggie. “‘S your turn. Whadda,” Alex tried to suppress a large yawn, “Mmmm.” Maggie chuckled. She kissed Alex lightly on the lips, then on the forehead. “You can take care of me tomorrow, babe,” she said as she pulled a blanket across them both. “Go to sleep.” Maggie ran her fingers through Alex’s hair and snuggled her close. It would be a while before her own body was calm enough for sleep, playing with Alex always left her wet and ready, but eventually, her body relaxed and her eyes fluttered closed.

 

***

Lucy tapped on Kara's door. She knew it was her party but she had brought a bottle of wine anyway. It was only polite. Somehow, she was startled when the door opened and Alex was there, a smile on her face like she was in the middle of a conversation. "Hey you," were the first lines out of Alex's mouth as she pulled Lucy into the apartment. "You know you didn't have to bring anything, _colonel_ ," Alex said teasingly. She took the bottle of wine and placed it on the counter before grabbing Lucy's hand and pulling her farther into the apartment.

"The woman of the hour is here,” Alex announced, "now where's the champagne?"

Kara bounded over and swept Lucy into a hug. "I'm so glad you're back," she said before drawing Lucy into a conversation about the latest gossip at CatCo. Lucy laughed and was happy to join in.

Maggie came up behind Alex and wrapped her in her arms. "You're good, right?" Maggie whispered as she nosed at Alex's collar. Alex had never taken Maggie up on the offer to remove it but Maggie liked to check in any way. "Yeah," Alex said as she snuggled back into Maggie's arms, "I'm good." She dropped her head forward in a mild show of submission. She was fine with the collar but she wasn't going to needlessly drop to her knees in front of her friends unless Maggie gave her explicit instructions to do so. It hadn't happened often. Maggie kissed the back of Alex's neck, acknowledging what Alex wasn't saying.

"I'm glad." Maggie squeezed Alex's hip then let her go. She owed James a conversation.

 

***

Lucy had just finished hugging James, always a bittersweet moment, when she looked over and caught sight of Alex and Maggie embracing. Something dropped deep in her gut. She thought she had had that with James but James had never looked at her the way Alex looked at Maggie. It was breathtaking.

Lucy's attention was drawn away when Kara pressed a glass of champagne into her hand and said, "they're adorable, aren't they?" as she nodded toward Alex and Maggie.

"Yeah," Lucy took a sip of her champagne. It hurt how much she wanted the same thing. She knew her jealousy wasn't just about how good Maggie and Alex looked together. If she had known, if she had suspected, maybe she would be the one with Alex in her arms. She turned away and refocused on Kara. "So, I am ever going to get to see you out in the desert? Or are you stuck in the city all of the time?" Lucy asked. Kara shrugged. "I might get out there more often now that you're back." Kara carefully bumped her shoulder against Lucy's. "Oh, and Alex goes out there sometimes to play poker with Vasquez and a couple of other agents when Vasquez is on call. You should see if you can get in on a game." Kara smiled her trademark sunny smile. Lucy couldn't help but smile back. "I'll think about it," she said.

Just then, Maggie abandoned Alex for a conversation about the challenges of policing a community that had such diverse concepts of right and wrong. There was a level on which the lawyer in her was fascinated, but then Alex made her way onto the balcony and Lucy was much more interested in that conversation. Lucy excused herself from Kara and Winn (he was a DEO agent now? Really?) and followed Alex outside.

 

***

Alex had her hands wrapped around the railing and she was looking up at the stars when Lucy joined her. “It’s a nice night,” Lucy said as she leaned back against the railing where she could see Alex’s face.

“It is,” Alex responded. “I was getting a little warm inside,” she said as she nodded toward the party. It was a nice night out, the late spring air perfect for open windows and quiet conversations. Alex just wanted a few minutes to collect herself, to cheer herself up where she wouldn't bring the part down like she had the drinks a few nights previously.

“Yeah, me too,” Lucy responded. Something was clearly bothering Alex and she wanted to reach out and put a hand on the small of Alex’s back to comfort her. Overheating wasn’t the reason Alex was outside. Lucy had a feeling she knew what the real problem was. She sighed knowing Alex wouldn’t bring it up and it would hang in the air between until they addressed it.

“I hate that it wasn’t a fair fight.” Confusion passed over Alex’s face as Lucy shrugged, “it can’t be easy to be at a party for someone who took your job and your promotion.” Lucy finished her champagne and put the glass down on a side table. “I know it wasn’t my fault but I want to apologize anyway.” This time Lucy did reach out and put a hand on Alex’s arm. She ignored the slight shiver it sent through Alex’s body.

“Lucy, no, it isn’t like that.” Alex shook her head. “I told you I’m happy where I am. I didn’t even apply.” She turned to face Lucy now. “Really, I’m happy you got the job. I’m happy that you’re back.” Alex pulled Lucy into her arms for a hug. Lucy hugged her back tightly before pulling away.

“I know you are. But I also know what J’onn told you about applying for the position. That the brass would only see one thing,” Lucy nodded toward Alex’s collar, “and deny you the promotion based entirely on that.”

Alex’s face closed off at Lucy’s words. “That isn’t… I can’t…” Alex clenched her teeth. “You don’t know what you’re talking about,” she finally said.

“I know what Maggie told me. And it didn’t sound good,” Lucy said.

“Maggie shouldn’t have told you anything.” Alex was mad now, whether at Lucy or Maggie remained to be seen. “I’m sorry,” Alex said. “I have to go.” She turned to let herself back into the apartment. Lucy reached out for her again but Alex shrugged her off. She turned around long enough to say, “enjoy your party,” to Lucy before she was inside and looking for Maggie.

Once Alex found her, she stalked over to her and grabbed her elbow. Maggie looked at her in surprise her body automatically turning toward Alex. “We’re leaving now,” Alex said in a low voice as she dragged Maggie toward the door.

“Wait,” Maggie tried to halt their progress, “what’s going on?” Maggie was concerned and confused.

“I’m about to yell at you and I don’t want to ruin Lucy’s party, so we’re leaving. Now.” That got Maggie’s attention, and after saying her goodbyes, she followed Alex outside. They were at the car before Alex turned on Maggie.

“How could you?” She was already so angry she was shaking. “How could you tell Lucy…” Alex spun back to the car and slammed the sides of her fists down on the roof.

“Alex, I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Maggie replied. She couldn’t figure out just why Alex was so mad. She hadn’t told Lucy anything that would lead to this outburst.

“You told Lucy about why I didn’t apply for the assistant director job. You fucking told her everyone thinks I can’t do my job because I’m a fucking sub.” Alex started pacing, still seething.

“Alex…,” Maggie pleaded for Alex to listen to her. “I just… I thought she needed to know. In case it came up or something. And I’ve never, never told anyone that you can’t do your job because you’re a sub. I told her the people who make the decisions thought that,” Maggie reached out for Alex but Alex brushed her off.

“You has no right to tell her _anything_ ,” Alex yelled back. “I was handling it.” Alex spun around and got in the passenger side of the car, slamming it after her. She crossed her arms and waited for Maggie to get in. There was no way she was driving when she was this pissed off.

 

***

Maggie sighed as she unlocked the door and led them inside, “I just don’t see why it’s such a big deal that I told her.”

Alex just glared back at Maggie, “because it’s _Lucy_ ,” she growled out as if that explained anything at all to Maggie. If there was one person Alex didn't want to be vulnerable in front of, it was Lucy. Lucy who had already managed to figure out when she was lying despite all of her training, who had just looked at her and known. Lucy who had already put her in chains, dragging her through the DEO in handcuffs because she had committed treason. Lucy who had already had to save her ass because Alex couldn't save her own or J'onn's. Lucy who somehow already knew her too well. No, she couldn't be vulnerable in front of Lucy again and that's exactly what Maggie had just made her.

"And because you knew I wouldn't want anyone else to know. It's bad enough that J'onn knows what those bastards in Washington think of me," Alex wanted to hit something or throw something.

"I'm sure she doesn't think any less of you. Just, maybe, take a breath and try to calm down," Maggie suggested.

"No, you don't get to tell me what to do right now." They had fought before but Alex's collar had never felt tighter. She wanted to pull it off but she wasn't will to ask Maggie to do it for her. Alex made a sound of frustration, spun on her heal, and stormed into the bedroom. She slammed the door in her wake.

Maggie sighed and looked at the couch. She still didn't understand but she was going to give Alex her space. Even if that meant sleeping on the couch.

 

***

Alex tried not to take her bad mood with her when she went to work the next day. It was quiet which meant ignoring Maggie's betrayal was hard when there wasn't anything to distract her. She paced around the island in the center of the command area then leaned on it when J'onn approached.

"What's going on, Agent Danvers?" he asked as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Nothing," she exclaimed throwing her hands up. "Nothing is going on. No rampaging aliens, no shady conspiracy theories. Cadmus might as well have disappeared for the moment." Alex went back to pacing. "Supergirl is probably taking a nap right now." Alex normally liked working Sundays. No one ever seemed to do anything on Sundays so it gave her lots of time to spend in her lab but today she was restless, agitated. If she tried to go into her lab she would just screw up the delicate experiments she was running.

J'onn nodded in understanding. "That does sound… frustrating," he said. "I'd offer to spar with you but I have plans with my father soon," he looked at his watch. "Well, now actually."

"You're leaving?" Alex huffed. There went her one distraction.

"I am," he said. "I trust you'll hold down the fort while I'm gone." J'onn clapped Alex on the shoulder and squeezed. "I'll see you in a few hours."

Alex sighed. Maybe she could run a drill or something. They could all use the practice.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Alex got home, she was at a loss. Maggie wasn't back yet. Maggie wasn't supposed to be back yet. Alex had been hoping anyway. It was easier when Maggie was there to be the focus of her emotional turmoil. Now she would obsess alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now being betad by the wonderful AMSNI

Alex strolled through the command center at the desert base, small box in hand as she walked up a couple of stairs to Vasquez's station. They were hard at work, but Alex had no qualms about leaning against their workstation. Alex shifted the box to her hip.

“Ma’am,” Vasquez said. Alex wanted to tell Vasquez to call her anything other than ma'am, particularly now that Lucy was officially in charge, but she knew it wouldn't do any good. "Can I help you with something?"

Alex rolled her eyes. "I'm here to see Director Lane, but I wanted to make sure we're still on for poker later this month."

"Yes, ma'am," Vasquez said. "Roberts and Donovan are going to be there." Alex smiled. She liked both of them even if Donovan tended to take her money. Vasquez and Alex were the only two regulars at the game, but they had a stable of other agents that got invited whenever their schedules lined up. Would it be weird to invite Lucy? She'd ask Vasquez about it later.

“Well, I’m off to see your new boss,” Alex said as she pushed away from the workstation. “Wish me luck.”

“Good luck, ma’am,” Vasquez replied.

 ***

Lucy was in the middle of filling out a requisition form when she heard the tap on her open office door. She responded with a, “come in,” before she looked up from her paperwork. It was only after she finished signing her name to the form that she glanced up and saw that it was Alex. Her smile was tighter than she wanted it to be. “Be glad you didn’t get this job,” she said to Alex. “I’ve been doing nothing but paperwork all day.”

“Yeah. Right.” Alex’s return smile was lackluster.

Lucy shook her head and ran her fingers through her hair. Paperwork was the part of the job she hated the most and there was always more of it. “Sorry. I’m just a little frustrated. Come in,” Lucy motioned to the chair on the other side of the desk. Alex’s smile was more genuine this time. “So, to what do I owe the pleasure?” Lucy asked.

“I just wanted to give you this.” Alex put the butcher paper wrapped box on Lucy desk. “And to apologize for leaving your party so early.”

“You don’t need to apologize,” Lucy said as she slid the box across the desk. “And is this from Alex or Agent Danvers?” Lucy gave Alex another small smile. Alex blushed and pushed a piece of hair behind one ear smiling back at Lucy. "It's from Alex."

Lucy raised her eyebrows, “I guess I should open it then,” she said as she pushed a finger along the seam of the paper easily sliding through the tape. Then she opened the nondescript box and pulled out two simple glasses before she followed them with a bottle. Lucy hummed. “This is a very nice bottle of rye,” she said as she placed it on her desk.

“It’s one of my favorites and you seemed like a rye drinker.” Alex blushed and shrugged. “I figured it would come in handy after a long day of paperwork.”

“Like today?” Lucy asked mischievously. She was already breaking the seal on the bottle and setting the glasses at a better angle for pouring.

Alex chuckled. “That wasn’t why I brought it.”

Lucy pulled the stopper out of the bottle and asked, “does that mean you’re saying no?”

This time Alex laughed. “Absolutely not.” If Lucy wanted to share a drink with her after a long day, Alex wasn’t going to say no. Lucy smiled back at her as she poured. “I think I’ve got a bottle of water around here if you’re interested,” Lucy said and she fished one out from the mini fridge she had in one corner. “I don’t think this is what they had in mind when they put that in here.” She poured a bit of the water in with her whiskey then handed the bottle to Alex. It was far too early for either of them to start drinking straight whiskey.

“I doubt it, but…,” Alex raised her eyebrows in a ‘what’re you gonna do’ way before they clinked their glasses together and she joined Lucy in taking a sip. Lucy smiled at the slight burn in the back of her throat. “That is… really good. Just luck or do you know your whiskey?” Alex and Lucy hadn’t really had that much time to get to know each other outside of work before Lucy had been shipped out to her next army post and she was curious about the answer.

“Eh, somewhere in between.” Alex relaxed back into her chair and let her glass dangle from her fingers. “I know what I like and I pay attention,” she said. She wasn’t a party girl willing to drink cheap tequila anymore. She stretched her legs out and got comfortable. The atmosphere in Lucy’s office was nice, surprisingly warm for a typical government issued office. Alex chalked it up to the table lamps, leather chairs, and a good drink, though she hadn’t had nearly enough for it to affect her. Of course, it had nothing to do with Lucy.

They sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes. Eventually, Alex sighed and finished her drink, putting the glass down on Lucy's desk. “I should leave,” she said with some reluctance. She rubbed her collar moving it up and down then rubbed her eyes.

Lucy immediately focused on Alex’s hands and the way she was fidgeting. For the most part, Alex didn't fidget. “Is everything okay?” Lucy asked.

Alex shrugged. "I'm just not ready to go home." Alex hated fighting with Maggie, but she hated the aftermath even more, where they were being too careful around each other and everything was still so sensitive. She was ready to have their normal back. "Maggie and I… We're not fighting exactly, just… yeah," Alex said.

"You really don't like that she told me, do you?" Lucy asks with sympathetic eyes.

"She should have known I didn't want her to tell anybody. It's just…" Alex rolled her shoulders and shook her head. It was humiliating, but she didn't want to say that to Lucy.

"It was private," Lucy finished.

“Yes. Exactly,” Alex said. That was the most she was willing to admit.

“Well, personally, I’m glad she told me," Lucy cocked her head to the side. "She was just trying to look out for you."

"I don't need anyone looking out for me. I can take care of myself." Alex was adamant.

"As far as I know, nobody doubts that." Lucy came out from behind her desk and approached Alex. "I know I don't know her very well, but it's clear that she cares about you." Lucy grabbed Alex's hand and squeezed it. “She wouldn’t do something if she thought it would hurt you.”

Alex rubbed her forehead with her free hand and squeezed Lucy’s hand back. “Thanks,” she said as she dropped Lucy's hand.

"And you're welcome to stay," Lucy said. She enjoyed Alex's company no matter what sort of mood she was in.

"No," Alex patted her thighs as she stood. "It won't be any better an hour from now and Maggie will worry." Alex forced a smile. It seemed like she was doing that a lot these days. "It was good to see you and thanks for the drink." Alex opened Lucy's door and slipped out.

***

When Alex got home, she was at a loss. Maggie wasn't back yet. Maggie wasn't supposed to be back yet. Alex had been hoping anyway. It was easier when Maggie was there to be the focus of her emotional turmoil. Now she would obsess about it alone.

Alex went about straightening the apartment just to give herself something to do. She and Maggie might not be fighting anymore, but they weren't back to normal yet either. The easy touches that Maggie granted without thought were gone as if she thought touching Alex would set her off again. Alex hated it. Even before they had a relationship, Maggie had let her hands roam across Alex's skin. It calmed her in a way she didn't realize she needed. She had come to crave that touch and she didn't realize how much she would miss it when it wasn't there.

Maggie was treating her so delicately and she hated it. Her remaining annoyance was nothing compared to what she needed from Maggie to feel normal again. Maggie wasn't going to initiate anything though. She would have to do it herself.

***

Alex looked up as Maggie opened the door to their apartment. She was lounging on the couch and wearing little more than a pair of boy shorts. When Alex got up, Maggie stopped in her tracks. She smirked just a bit. “Not that I’m complaining but this is not what I expected to come home to,” she said.

Alex finished getting up and walked around the couch. She looped her arms around Maggie’s neck and leaned in for a quick kiss. “I’m not apologizing for being mad,” Alex said, “but I may have overreacted.” Alex pressed herself against her slack-jawed girlfriend and gave her a real kiss. One that left Maggie reeling.

Then Alex started to kiss her way down Maggie’s neck to her chest then down to her stomach as she slowly lowered herself to her knees and finally pressed kisses to Maggie’s still clad thighs. Once she was on her knees, Alex sat obediently looking up at Maggie with expectation.

Maggie let out the breath she had been holding and reached down to run her fingers through Alex’s hair. “That’s,” Maggie said, “I can understand that. And I know I’ve already said it, but I’m sorry for telling Lucy something you didn’t want her to know.”

Alex nodded and pressed her face into Maggie’s thigh. Her, “thank you,” was muffled but still intelligible.

“So what’s with this?” Maggie asked motioning at Alex’s position on the floor.

Alex nuzzled against Maggie’s thigh once again. “I’ve missed you. I’ve missed you like this.” Alex ran a fingertip down the back of Maggie’s calf.

Maggie’s voice was husky when she said, “we need to eat dinner first. Then we’ll come back to this.” Alex nodded and got back up again. Alex grabbed a loose-knit sweater so she wouldn’t get too cold but didn’t bother with anything else. Maggie could see Alex's nipples through her sweater.

“Takeout or are you cooking?” Alex asked. Maggie smiled and flashed her dimples. “I was going to cook that stir fry you really like. The one with the poblanos,” Maggie said. “You should come help me.” Maggie toed her shoes off, took off her jacket, and pushed up her sleeves before going into the kitchen.

By the way it was phrased, Alex knew that is wasn’t a request. She also knew Maggie wouldn't dare make her actually help lest something go entirely wrong and ruin their dinner, so Alex sauntered into the kitchen and hopped up on one of the counters. “Is this helpful?” She asked as she caught Maggie with one of her legs and drew her in for a long kiss. Maggie was happy to let Alex kiss her but eventually pulled away. “That isn’t going to work. We have to eat first. Now get your ass off of my counter,” Maggie chuckled and tapped Alex’s hip with a spatula.

“No, I think I’m good here,” Alex gave Maggie a cheeky smile in return.

Maggie just raised an eyebrow. With Alex in that mood, tonight was going to be fun.

***

Maggie watched Alex sleeping next to her, head pillowed on her arms as she laid face down on the bed to stay off of her now marked back. Tonight's welts would likely turn into tomorrow's bruises and they would remind Alex who she belonged to. Both Alex and Maggie took comfort in that. She had missed it as much as Alex had. Her constant need to have a hand on Alex's skin didn't wane just because they were fighting. They weren't fighting anymore though.

Maggie trailed a hand down the clear area over Alex's spine careful not to wake her, though one more round did have a distinct appeal. Alex looked peaceful, but she also wouldn't tell her no. Alex so rarely told her no, up for anything Maggie wanted to do or try. Maggie decided to try her luck. She lightly brushed her fingers over one of the stripes Alex had earned by refusing to get off of the counter. It would sting but not enough to wake Alex immediately. Maggie skipped her fingers between marks hopefully building up the sensation to a level to get Alex's attention.

Finally, Alex groaned and shifted, turning her head in Maggie's direction. "Again?" She murmured sleepily as she snuggled down into the bed.

"Mmhmm," Maggie pressed down harder on one of the welts. Alex inhaled sharply as her hips bucked.

"Do I have to move?" Alex asked her voice still filled with sleep.

"Depends on how much you want to come," Maggie said. She moved her hand toward Alex's ass in a desultory manner, pushing the blankets down as she did it. Once she got it uncovered, she gave it a hard smack. Alex moaned and pushed her hips down into the bed. She was more awake now.

"That's better," Maggie said, her eyes twinkling as she brushed some of Alex's hair back. She leaned in for a kiss. Alex lifted her body up to lie on her side as the kiss continued. Eventually, Maggie pulled away to return to her original plan. She nuzzled against Alex's cheek and said, "get out the strap-on and put it on."

"Yes ma'am," Alex replied as she rolled over to grab it from the nightstand. It took only a moment for Alex to get it situated but as she did, Maggie started touching herself. Alex moaned as she turned to see what Maggie was doing. Still wet from earlier, Maggie already had two fingers inside herself. Alex blindly grabbed the lube unable to take her eyes off of Maggie.

"Get on your knees facing the headboard," Maggie commanded. Alex's only response was a quiet, "yes ma'am."

Maggie knew exactly how she wanted Alex and she wasn't going to play around first. This was why she had woken Alex up after all. Once Alex was situated, and the strap-on covered in lube, Maggie took her place in front of Alex. With her back turned to Alex, she spread her legs on either side of Alex's and grabbed the headboard. She rose up, found the head of the cock and guided swiftly inside of herself. She groaned as she felt her ass meet Alex's hips. Alex automatically wrapped her arms around Maggie to steady her.

"Good girl," Maggie said. She held onto the headboard with one hand and Alex's arm with the other, then she started riding the cock. She loved the way it rubbed against the inside of her cunt in this position. She loved how in control of her own pleasure she felt. She loved how it forced Alex to hold still, to let Maggie take her from her without giving back. Maggie pushed one of Alex's hand down to her clit, any commands unnecessary as Alex started to circle it in just the way Maggie liked.

Maggie dug her fingernails into Alex's forearm as she pushed herself back and forth on the cock taking what she wanted. She grunted and she moaned and eventually she said, "spread your legs for me," because she liked the stretch in her own thighs but also because she knew Alex would be dripping wet by then, and she didn't want Alex to get any relief from being able to rub her own thighs together.

She kept pushing and pulling, a sheen of sweat building on her skin as her orgasm built inside. She grabbed Alex's wrist above her clit, a wordless command that it was time to stop teasing, it was time to make her come.

Alex moved her fingers with intent as Maggie's thrusts stuttered and eventually came to a stop as she fell over the edge. Alex held on tight to make sure Maggie didn't fall even as she kept touching Maggie through her climax.

Maggie was panting hard as she came back to herself. She pressed into Alex and pulled Alex's arms around her in a tight hug. They stayed like that for a long moment before Maggie was able to move again. She slowly removed the cock from herself and climbed off of Alex's lap. She turned back around and pressed into Alex for another hug. "That was so good," she murmured, "you were so good."

Alex only got a second to preen before Maggie was stripping off the strap-on and pushing Alex onto her back. Alex hissed when her shoulders hit the bed. It made her hips jerk. Maggie nudged Alex's legs apart and settled between them. She took a swipe through Alex's wetness with her tongue. Alex arched up. She hadn't been told not to. Maggie looked up at Alex from her position and smirked. She walked a couple of fingers teasingly over Alex's thigh. "This is where you get punished for complaining about waking up." Maggie nipped at the inside of Alex's thigh. "I'm going to lick you. You aren't going to come. We're going to do that until I get sleepy. You still aren't allowed to come," Maggie said as Alex whimpered. She knew Maggie would keep her word and she wasn't going to be coming at all that night.

***

Six pack of beer in hand, Maggie tapped on the door to Kara's apartment before pushing it open. It was game night so she knew it wouldn't be locked. Alex had gotten off of work earlier than her and gone over to Kara's to help with the snacks, but now she was there, standing in front of Maggie wordlessly taking the beer from her and giving her a small, flirtatious smile. The fridge was only a few steps away, so Alex was quickly back by her side and helping Maggie with her jacket before Maggie had even thought to take it off. She placed a kiss on the side of Maggie's neck from behind and whispered, "let me take care of you tonight, babe," in Maggie's ear.

Maggie raised her eyebrows in surprise. After a few miscommunications and one actual talk, "taking care" of Maggie had become their code for when Alex wanted to be submissive in public, or in this case, in Kara's living room, and Maggie certainly hadn't expected it that night. Or any game night, really. Alex was normally hesitant to display that side of herself to her friends. Maggie turned over her shoulder and gave Alex a careful look, making sure it was what Alex really wanted. Alex nodded and Maggie said, "okay." She ran a hand down Alex's forearm and gave it a squeeze before she stepped away. It was then that Maggie noticed what Alex was wearing. It wasn't the most revealing thing Alex had ever worn in public, there was that one time she had gone completely topless at a club, but it involved much less fabric than Maggie expected: Alex's shorts were dangerously short and she could just see the outline of Alex's bra through her shirt. Maggie didn't even know Alex owned clothing that looked like that. Her mouth went dry. Alex had been planning this.

Sensing that Maggie and Alex's hellos were finished, Kara came bounding over to them and threw her arms around Maggie. "I know it was just last week, but feel like I haven't seen you in forever," Kara said as she dragged Maggie into the apartment and over to Winn and James. It was then that there was another knock on the door. When it didn't immediately open, Alex went to see who it was. She froze when she saw Lucy there with a box of cookies. Lucy froze as well, but her eyes quickly flicked down, drawn by the amount of skin Alex was currently displaying. She swallowed hard even as she looked back up. Alex blushed.

"I, uh, didn't know you were coming tonight," Alex said as she instinctively took the box of cookies from Lucy's hands. She stepped back to let Lucy into the apartment. Kara hadn't run the guest list by her first. Why would she? And of course Kara would invite Lucy. She was back in town so of course she would be welcome back at Kara's game nights. Alex just hadn't thought about it that way. That Lucy would be the only dom in the room other than Maggie really shouldn't mean anything. She had spent time alone with Lucy and it had been completely normal. That Maggie could theoretically order her to listen to Lucy's commands as well… There was no need to worry about that because Maggie wouldn't do it without talking to her about it first. No, Maggie just wouldn't do it period.

"Yeah," Lucy shrugged off her own coat, but Alex took it from her to hang up. The way Lucy was suddenly looking at her…

As if sensing something was wrong, Maggie excused herself from her conversation with Kara and Winn and rejoined Alex. She slid a hand under the back of Alex's shirt and placed it low on Alex's back while she rubbed comforting circles into Alex's skin. "Everything good here?" Maggie asked. Alex startled out of the haze she was in and Lucy jumped.

"Yeah," Alex gave Maggie a tight smile but placed a kiss on her temple anyway. "I was just telling Lucy that these cookies are some of my favorites." Alex put the cookies on the counter. She knew she could back out of their game if she wanted, but she didn't want to. She wanted to spend the night being good for Maggie.

"Right." Maggie knew Alex was lying, but she wasn't going to push her on it. "So, Lucy, any opinion on what we play tonight?" Maggie asked as she escorted both Maggie and Alex all the way into the apartment.

"As long as it isn't Never Have I Ever, I'm good. It seems like we always end up playing that," Lucy said.

"You know, she's right," Winn chimed in. He flopped into a corner of the couch. "I'm voting against Monopoly. Nothing good ever happens when we play Monopoly." Winn was right about that too. No one needed to revisit the epic fight between Kara and James for control of the Railroads.

Maggie took the seat next to Winn and Alex curled herself up at Maggie's feet. Alex was relieved when no one mentioned it. Maggie's hand immediately found its way into Alex's hair.

"Clue?" Lucy offered. She took the chair next to James as everyone looked at Maggie. "Right," Lucy said, "not Clue."

"Bananagrams," Kara finally decided, pulling it out and putting it on the coffee table.

"Okay, but every time you have to switch tiles, you take a drink," James added.

Maggie tugged lightly on Alex's hair to get her attention, though she knew Alex was already hyper-aware of her, then said, "Get us beers." Alex answered with a “yes ma’am,” before she gracefully unfolded, stood, and walked into the kitchen where she retrieved their drinks. A minute later, she was back on the floor at Maggie's feet.

Kara divvied up the tiles then said, "So, let's play."

***

"Never have I ever written a computer code," Alex said as she smirked at Winn. They hadn’t actually had that much to drink despite James’s new Bananagrams rule and they had only played a couple of rounds of Never Have I Ever. Alex was still at Maggie's feet, but her posture had become perfect. No longer was she just lounging there, she was kneeling and Maggie's finger was wrapped through her collar keeping her on her best behavior, keeping her close. Maggie had a cookie in her hand that she was slowly breaking apart and feeding Alex. Alex was clearly happy, a blissful look on her face though she occasionally shot looks at Lucy almost as if she were seeking Lucy’s approval as well as Maggie’s, as if she was submitting, just a little, to Lucy too. It left Lucy both confused and intrigued. She didn’t think she would ever see Alex so thoroughly immersed in being a sub. It felt like she was witnessing something private. She wondered what would happen if she gave Alex a command of her own. Would she follow it? Lucy desperately needed to put that thought away for her own sanity.

Winn’s, "Hey!" was quickly followed by a sip of beer, though Kara also took a sip of her own ineffectual drink. Her only response was, "Krypton," and a shrug of her shoulders. “Yeah, well never have I ever been arrested by someone in this room. Ha!” Winn shot a look at Alex and she glared back at him and took a sip. She was the only one. Of course she was.

“Oh yeah,” Winn gloated and pointed at Alex. Maggie looked down at Alex curiously as Alex rolled her eyes at Winn. Winn looked up at Maggie. “Do you not know this story?” he asked then continued, “Lucy arrested Alex last summer.”

“But…” Maggie still looked confused glancing between Alex and Lucy.

“Yeah, she—“ a glare from Alex made him stop. “Shutting up now,” he said.

Alex twisted up to look at Maggie her glare replaced by something much more deferential. “Can I tell you about it later?” Of course Maggie could order her to tell the story then and there, and Alex would, but a quick, “sure,” set Alex’s mind at ease.

“And I think that’s the end of that game,” Kara said looking around for anyone who might disagree. No one did.

***

“So, Lucy arrested you, huh?” Maggie said as she closed the apartment door behind them. “What, did you lose a really bad bet?” Maggie stroked a hand down Alex’s spine and Alex dropped to her knees.

“No ma’am,” Alex answered simply.

Maggie raised an eyebrow at that. She expected a little more explanation. It wasn’t like Alex to avoid talking to her about things. At least things that weren’t her feelings. Maggie brushed her fingers through Alex’s hair and then went to get a glass of water. Maggie was going to wait until Alex offered something more, but her curiosity got the better of her. “So what’s the story?” she asked.

Alex steeled herself. “It was when everyone found out that J’onn was an alien. Lucy was part of the team investigating the DEO to see if anyone knew and when they knew it.” Alex looked down and this time Maggie knew it wasn’t out of deference to her.

Maggie paused Alex with a motion. "This sounds like a couch conversation."

Alex nodded and got up, but when she got to the couch, she sat on the floor and pulled her knees up to hug them. Maggie sat on the couch next to her. Then Alex started, “I had known for months, but J’onn told me to lie. He told me not to try to protect him. So I did it. I lied and it didn't do any good anyway.” That might have been the part that bothered Alex the most. She should have stood up for him.

Alex was in her own mind now. “I beat the lie detector, but Lucy just… she just _knew_.” Alex shook her head. Maggie put a hand on Alex’s shoulder and rubbed it.

“So she arrested you for lying to a federal agent?” That was the only thing Maggie could think of that Alex might be guilty of. Maggie thought it was a stupid charge, but she wasn’t the one who wrote the rules.

“No,” Alex shook her head. “She arrested me for treason.” Alex laughed sardonically. Maggie gaped. She couldn’t help it. “Then she sent me and J’onn to Cadmus.”

Maggie just blinked. She couldn’t think of any other response. “Treason? _Cadmus?_ And you still hang out with her?”

“Yeah,” Alex nodded, “she helped Kara rescue us.” She shrugged. “J’onn and I had to go on the run for awhile. Until Myriad. She was Acting Director at the time and she did a good job. She stood up for J’onn when he needed it, even when it was her father she was standing up to.” Alex slumped back into Maggie’s touch.

“She was doing her job. And it isn’t like we weren’t guilty,” Alex was fully leaning into Maggie’s leg now. Maggie slipped to the floor and put her arm around Alex’s shoulders. She just held Alex.

“If you were guilty, why aren’t you in federal prison right now?” To Maggie that seemed logical. Alex was human. It was fucked up, but at the very least, Alex should have gotten some sort of trial. Not that the DEO had ever been much for due process.

“We both got very, very quiet Presidential pardons,” Alex sighed again. “After Myriad, and almost losing Kara, and everything else that happened, it seemed petty to hold a grudge. So yeah, we hang out now. And I bring her welcome back gifts, and she comes to game night, and everyone is friends,” Maggie pulled Alex into a hug which Alex sank into in relief.

“And you get pissed at me when I tell her things that make you seem weak,” it was Maggie’s turn to sigh. “Come on,” Maggie said as she prodded Alex to her feet. “Let’s get you into some PJs and we can have some tea or something.”

They stood and Alex grasped Maggie’s forearm tightly. “I’m sorry I ruined our night,” she said as Maggie walked them toward the bedroom. Maggie brought Alex’s hand up and kissed her knuckles. “I’m glad you told me anyway. That’s more important than anything we were going to do tonight. Besides, I’m going to be thinking about that game night for a long time. We’ll find a time to finish what you started.”

***

Lucy walked into her kitchen and straight to her makeshift bar. She hadn't really had time to unpack yet. There were boxes everywhere, but she had managed to find her kitchen stuff, and her alcohol, and that was really all she needed that night. She knew if she pulled out the whiskey she would start drinking way too fast, so she mixed herself a quick martini instead. It was almost straight gin, but she was more likely to sip it rather than down shots of it. That was exactly what she'd do with the whiskey.

Lucy made her way to the couch and sat down. She had mixed feelings about the night and she needed some time to decompress before she headed off to bed. Alex had been… Alex had been _perfect_. She had done Maggie's bidding the entire night, gotten her drinks, eaten out of her hand, stayed at her feet, let Maggie's hands roam to places just outside of propriety. And she had done it all with a look of utter devotion on her face. And with the occasional hooded glance toward Lucy.

Lucy had spent all night _wanting_. She wasn't entirely sure if she just wanted that sort of relationship or if she wanted Alex specifically. Her head told her the former; her gut told her the latter. That was never going to happen though. She couldn't come between Alex and Maggie if she tried and she didn't want to try. That still didn't stop her from wanting. It didn't stop her from imagining what it would be like to have Alex there, to be able to do what she wanted with her.

She would start by having Alex take off her clothes and kneel in front of her. She would have Alex crawl over to her and help her get undressed then she would pull Alex into a kiss.

Lucy unfastened her pants and slid a hand inside of them. It didn't come as a surprise that she was already wet. She gathered up some of that wetness and started rubbing her clit.

She wanted a strap-on. She wanted Alex on her hands and knees in the middle of her living room. She wanted to be pushing into her and making her lose control. Her fantasies were no longer linear, just scattered images of all of the things she wanted to do to Alex. She was tied down to the bed. She was bent over one of the boxes. She was stripping Lucy. She was pressed against the window while Lucy fucked her where anyone might see. In all of her visions, Alex was enjoying herself. She was debauched. Her lips were swollen and her pupils were blown. And then suddenly Maggie was there too. Telling Alex what to do. Telling _Lucy_ what to do. Letting her do all of these wonderful, terrible things to Alex. Pulling Lucy into her arms and kissing her while Alex watched and whined.

Lucy pushed her own fingers inside of herself and imagined they were Alex's. The angle wasn't right, but it would do. Lucy stopped long enough to squirm out of her pants and spread her legs further apart. Her panties were ruined. She pulled her fingers out and went back to rubbing her clit. With one last vision of Alex spread before her, she was coming.

It took a long moment for Lucy to come down from her high and when she did she was breathing hard. She could feel her heart beating in her chest.

She had two thought as her body calmed. One was that her martini was warm. Two, well, that was worse. She was fucked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been loving your comments! They inspire me to keep writing. 
> 
> I keep forgetting this: I'm on tumblr @twtd11 so you can come yell at me over there if you want.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex's "hi," was only a little awkward. She couldn't help thinking that Lucy was going to see her differently after game night the night before. Why the sudden desire to have coffee with her? Was Lucy about to tell her she thought the same way as all of the idiots in Washington? Was Lucy going to tell her that she should step back from field work, maybe take up her position in the lab full time. How much had her display changed Lucy's opinion of her? She should have known there would be consequences.
> 
> The aftermath from game night and Lucy sees a side of Alex that's only been hinted at before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I get a snow day, you guys get a chapter. This is the last chapter I have completely finished, though the next chapter is probably 75% done. This is also the longest thing I've ever written. Anyway, off we go into the abyss is what I'm saying.

Lucy walked into Noonan's and immediately started looking for Alex. She knew that no matter how early she got there, Alex would be there before her. It was inevitable. She found Alex in a booth in the back and walked over to join her. "Hello," she said as she slipped into the other side. 

Alex's "hi," was only a little awkward. She couldn't help thinking that Lucy was going to see her differently after game night the night before. Why the sudden desire to have coffee with her? Was Lucy about to tell her she thought the same way as all of the idiots in Washington? Was Lucy going to tell her that she should step back from field work, maybe take up her position in the lab full time. How much had her display changed Lucy's opinion of her? She should have known there would be consequences.

Noticing that Alex already had one, Lucy flagged down a waiter and put in her own coffee order. They sat in silence while the waiter brought it over, then Lucy finally started to speak.

"Alex, I…" She wrapped her hands around her mug and looked down. "After last night," Lucy paused and Alex braced herself. "I just… I realized I never apologized for arresting you. So much happened, but that isn't really an excuse. So, I'm sorry." Lucy nodded decisively. 

"Oh," Alex was taken aback. Of all of the reasons she had assumed Lucy wanted to see her, this one hadn't made the list. "I… Uhm… Thanks. Apology accepted, I guess." What else could Alex say? She had tried hard not to hold a grudge and she was pretty sure she had succeeded. Telling Maggie everything had been emotional, but that was just because she had to revisit it. Forgiving Lucy was the only option. Alex reached over and placed her hand over Lucy's. "Seriously, it's in the past. You should come over later this week and the three of us can hang out." 

Lucy smiled tentatively, "Good. I'm glad. And I'd like that, to hang out." Alex held Lucy's hand for a long time before she finally pulled back and finished her coffee. "Can I walk you back to work?" Lucy asked. Alex brushed some of her hair behind her ear and nodded. "Yeah, sure," she said as she stood. She waited as if it was natural for Lucy to leave the restaurant before her. There was plenty of room beside Lucy though. Lucy half turned around and grabbed Alex's hand to pull her up next to her. For some reason their hands stayed intertwined the entire short walk back to the DEO.

***

It was several days later when the signal came in. J'onn rubbed his forehead in frustration. As much as he like hearing from M'gann, that she was contacting the DEO meant bad news. It was just a matter of finding out what that news was and how long he was going to be gone this time.

After a long moment, Winn decrypted the message. He was right. It wasn't good. All he could say was, "Damn it," as they listened to the rest of the message. 

The White Martians had found a way to flank M'gann's resistance cell. He needed to get up there right away to try to draw them off or it was only a matter of time before M'gann and her rebels were dead. Hopefully he didn't end up that way trying to save them but that was beside the point. Alex placed a comforting hand on J'onn's shoulder. "Don't worry," she said, "You'll figure this out. We'll do anything we can and we'll be waiting here for you to come back." She hated that she couldn't go with him, but even she needed to be able to breathe. 

J'onn looked around the command center, his mind already churning with possibilities. 

"Thank you," he said. He clapped Alex on the back, "You're in charge until I get back. I know you'll make me proud." With that, J'onn walked out to the balcony and teleported away.

***

Maggie fluffed one last pillow on the couch even as she told herself she was being ridiculous. She didn't know Lucy particularly well, but Alex did, and Lucy didn't seem to be someone who cared about fluffed pillows. Maybe it was because Alex wasn't home yet. She had just called and said she was going to be late. Something had come up in her lab at the DEO. It wasn't supposed to take too long for her to take care of it, but it was just enough time for Maggie to have to self consciously entertain Lucy alone.

Maggie jumped a little when she heard the knock on the door. She could do this. It was just one person armed with nothing scarier than pizza. Maggie could deal with that. She walked over to the door and threw the lock. She was smiling by the time Lucy came into view. 

"So, I brought the pizza and the requested beer, though I don't understand how you can drink this weak-ass beer." Lucy said as she entered the apartment. Maggie chuckled as she took the beer from Lucy and looked at it. She laughed harder when she saw the label. "I'm pretty sure Alex was just fucking with you." She put the beer in the fridge and pulled out something better to drink. 

"Of course she was," Lucy said as she happily took it and twisted the cap off. "She's an asshole." Lucy pulled up one of the barstools and took a seat at the counter. There was something about being in Alex and Maggie's apartment that was too intimate. It was making Lucy fidget. 

"Only to the people she likes," Maggie teased. She handed Lucy a plate and flipped open the pizza box. "She's running a little late and said we should start without her," Maggie said. They both knew that "a little," could easily turn into an hour or more, so Lucy dug in as well. Maggie really hoped it wasn't that long. 

"So, Alex said something about watching a movie. Any preference?" Maggie asked. She figured that Lucy, as the guest, should get to choose. Lucy shrugged. "Do you think we can find something we'd like but that she would hate?" Lucy asked. She hadn't kept up with the latest releases while she was gone. Maggie smirked. "I like the way you think," she said. "How do you feel about superhero movies?"

***

Alex was officially 45 minutes late when she put her key in the lock and pushed the door open. She tried to be as quiet as she could but stopped bothering as soon as she heard the explosions coming from the tv. A quick look showed Tony Stark blowing something else up and Alex rolled her eyes. She hated superhero movies. She normally liked action movies, but movies based on comic books just weren't her thing. They were so unrealistic. The DEO couldn't get away with half of the shit that SHIELD pulled. Maggie and Lucy both looked back at her and Lucy had a mischievous grin on her face. Alex knew exactly who was responsible for the choice in movie, though she had likely had some guidance from Maggie. Either way, she needed to get back at both of them.

Alex walked over, leaned over the edge of the couch, and placed a light kiss on Maggie's lips as Maggie paused the movie. "Is there still pizza?" she asked. "Yeah," Maggie replied, "we saved you some." Alex hummed in response as she stood back up. She threw out a, "Hey," to Lucy and got an eye roll in return. They might have saved her some pizza, but Maggie had left a strongly worded post-it note on the good beer forbidding Alex to have any. Alex rolled her eyes and poured herself a glass of water, even water was better than the terrible beer she had made Lucy bring, before grabbing a slice. 

"If you guys don't mind, I'm going to go change," Alex said. "You can go back to the movie if you want." 

"Are you sure?" Lucy asked. "I mean, we can alway start it over for you." So Lucy was in the mood to fuck with her. If Lucy really wanted that, Alex was going to do it right back.

Alex shrugged, "Whatever you want." She knew when to pick her battles. She disappeared into the bedroom with her pizza as she heard the movie start again. When she came back out, the pizza was gone, as was most of her clothing. Alex nonchalantly walked into the living room in nothing more than a black bra and matching boxer-briefs. Lucy did a valiant job not letting her jaw drop. Maggie raised an eyebrow at Alex's new outfit. It stayed that way as Alex pulled a cushion off of the couch and placed it on the floor where she quickly sat, leaning slightly against Maggie's lower leg. She wasn't exactly sure why she did it, but it had just felt right. She was getting used to following her instincts when she was at home. When she squeezed Maggie's ankle and got a hand in her hair in return, Alex knew Maggie was okay with it. She also knew it would take a lot of Maggie's attention away from the movie. 

Mission one, fuck with Maggie, accomplished. 

Lucy was trying very hard to not to let her eyes bug out of her head and keep watching the movie. It was a challenge though. All she wanted to do was watch Alex. To watch Maggie and Alex. She had a perfect view of Alex's cleavage and had it been anyone else, she would have indulged. That was the whole point of a sub wearing so little clothing, wasn't it? At least Alex hadn't come out topless. Or naked. They were both theoretically possible. She didn't know what Alex's reason was, but she tried to keep her eyes on the movie. 

It worked until she finished her beer and heard a soft, "would you like another," come from Alex. Suddenly her throat was dry and she could only nod as she looked down. Alex looked up to Maggie for permission, which she got with a nod, and with a ripple of muscle she was standing, her ass much too close to Lucy's face for Lucy's blood pressure. 

It didn't take long before Alex was back and handing Lucy her beer. Before she could sit back down though, Maggie held up her own empty bottle. She raised an eyebrow in challenge. Alex smirked back as she quietly said, "yes, ma'am," to the implied order. Somehow saying it in this context was harder than saying it in front of all of their friends. The tips of her ears were red, but it was nowhere close to the flush she could see on the back of Lucy's neck. 

Mission two, fuck with Lucy, accomplished.

When Alex got back, Maggie pulled her down onto the couch and against her side before she could return to the floor. 

Lucy let out a sigh of relief only to realize this was worse. They weren't overly close, but the couch was only so big. Lucy could still feel the heat coming off of Alex's skin and smell the unique combination of shampoo and bodywash that was Alex's scent. Alex's tucked her feet beneath Lucy's thigh, and it made Lucy jump slightly. When Maggie looked over to check on her, she waved her off, but she couldn't stop herself from resting a hand on Alex's ankle. She used her thumb to rub circles into it. If Alex shivered, it had to be because of something Maggie was doing to her that Lucy couldn't see. 

But Maggie wasn't touching Alex in any way that might be even a little inappropriate. Lucy had been in situations where the sexuality was much more overt, but there was something about the way Maggie was holding Alex, the way goosebumps covered Alex's skin, that made Lucy both incredibly aroused and incredibly self conscious. It was too much and it wasn't enough, and as the movie ended, she wasn't sure if she should take off for the night or wait around to see what happened next. A kiss from Maggie to Alex's temple decided it. She needed to get out of there. 

Lucy stood and wiped her now damp palms on her pants. "You know, it's getting late. I should probably head home." It was like coming out of a trance. Maggie flicked the rest of the lights on and extracted herself from Alex. She said, "Let me see you out," as she stood. With a hand on her shoulder keeping her on the couch, Alex stayed where she was, but she watched them the entire time they were saying goodbye. 

Maggie opened the door and stepped into the hallway with Lucy, a hand on Lucy's arm stopping her from leaving right away. Maggie sighed, "I hope that wasn't too much for you. Like you said, Alex can be an asshole." She ran her fingers through her hair. "If it was, I can… do something about it."

Even the oblique reference to Maggie punishing Alex was enough to blank Lucy's mind. 

"Or, uh, you can. I guess that would be appropriate," Maggie continued. If Lucy's mind had been blank before, now it was nothing more than mush. But no, she couldn't take advantage of that opportunity. 

"You don't need to do anything on my account," Lucy said. She was going to be good. She was going to ignore just how much she wanted to punish Alex. How much she wanted Maggie to watch her punish Alex. "I, uh, I had a good time. We should do this again. Maybe after I've finished unpacking, you and Alex can come over." It wasn't supposed to be suggestive, but Lucy was convinced it sounded like a proposition. 

Maggie nodded. "Yeah, that'd be nice." 

Lucy smiled one last time before she headed out.

***

Maggie reentered the apartment to find Alex cleaning up. Cleaning could wait. "Alex," she said sternly. It got Alex's attention, and she stopped what she was doing. Maggie nodded to the spot in front of herself. Alex was kneeling there in no time. Maggie tilted Alex's chin up and made eye contact. "You are terrible and I don't know if I should be proud of you for that display or punish you for the intent behind it. You should know that Lucy already declined the opportunity to punish you for teasing her like that."

Alex sucked in a breath when she heard that Maggie even offered Lucy the chance. She shouldn't want it as much as she did, and she tried to push the idea away. Maggie was too shrewd for that to work though. "Something about that interest you, Danvers?" she asked. 

"No, no it just isn't something we've done before, so, you know…" Alex hoped Maggie understood what she meant. 

"Mmm," Maggie wasn't entirely convinced, and Lucy's interest had been obvious no matter how hard she tried to hide it, but she let the subject drop. "You know, there's no reason why I can't be proud of you and still punish you," Maggie grinned wickedly. She held out a hand to help Alex up. "Take your clothes off and go bend over the bed."

Alex didn't know what Maggie had planned, but she did as she was told.

***

The next afternoon, Lucy found Alex sitting in her lab, focused on something on her microscope. Lucy walked in and perched on an empty stool while she waited for Alex to notice her. It took a few minutes, but Alex did eventually look up. “Something I can do for you, Director?” Alex asked. If she was thinking about the night before at all, it didn't show. Lucy would have to push away those memories too.

“Not really. I had some forms that needed to be hand delivered and I since I was headed into the city anyway, I didn’t want to bother with a courier,” Lucy said. That she wanted the excuse to see Alex hung unsaid between them. 

Alex pushed away from the lab bench and turned toward Lucy. “So this is a social call?” Alex was relieved that Lucy wasn’t there to check up on her. She was more than capable of running everything in J’onn absence and Lucy should know that. It was good to find out that she did. 

“Yeah. And I heard you had an op running and wanted to see how it was going without having to wait a week to read the report.” Lucy rolled her eyes at the inevitable bureaucracy. "I think it might be related to something we're tracking." 

“It’s going well. Surveillance, so there isn’t much to do. Winn is actually running it right now,” Alex said. Lucy raised her eyebrows. “Winn? I still can’t believe he’s an agent.” 

“Yup. And turning into a good one. If you tell him that I said that, I’ll kill you,” Alex said seriously. Then she sighed. “How do you deal with it? With the sitting around and waiting?”

“You mean how do you deal with not being out in the field? I don’t know.” Lucy put a hand on Alex’s knee. “Look, I’m a lawyer. Even as an Army lawyer, I’ve spent most of my career in an office writing memos. I haven’t been out in the action the way you have, so I can’t tell you how to deal with it,” Lucy shook her head. She brought her hand up to Alex’s shoulder. “You’ll find your own way,” Lucy said. She squeezed Alex’s shoulder and ran her thumb across the front of her trapezius. Alex dropped her head. Lucy told herself it was just out of frustration. It didn’t mean what she wanted it to mean.

***

Maggie was just coming up the steps outside of Alex’s lab when she saw Alex and Lucy sitting together. Lucy’s hand was on Alex’s shoulder, and it looked like she was rubbing it. Alex’s head was dropped in obedience. Alex might not know that she was doing it, but Maggie knew that look, knew that angle. She knew things were about to get a lot more complicated.

It occured to Maggie that in that moment, in profile, Alex and Lucy were beautiful together. Alex’s auburn hair was just covering her eyes. Lucy’s arm linking them together. The soft look Lucy was giving Alex. She wondered if that was what other people saw when they looked at Alex and her. She suspected it might be. 

Maggie slipped quietly into the lab not wanting to disturb them. In the quiet of the room, it was inevitable. Her footsteps were soft on the concrete floor but not inaudible. Alex lifted her head and looked around to see who was disturbing them. She instinctively relaxed when she saw it was Maggie. 

Lucy lowered her arm slowly, reluctant to pull away. 

Maggie wrapped her arms around Alex from behind and kissed the nape of her neck. No matter what she saw between Lucy and Alex, Alex was still hers. She was staking her claim. Alex shuddered and relaxed back into Maggie while a fire ignited in Lucy’s eyes. She tried to tamp it down, but Maggie gave her a knowing look. Lucy blushed. “Mission anxiety?” Maggie asked. 

“Yeah,” Alex replied. “It’s hard not being out there.” 

Maggie rubbed her hand over Alex’s stomach. “I’m sure it’ll be fine. You do this all of the time with Supergirl, right?” 

“You’re right. I do,” Alex sighed, but it was also exactly what she needed to hear. She sat up a little straighter, and Maggie dropped her arms. “What brings you by?” Alex asked Maggie. 

“Well, I was going to take you to dinner, but something tells me you need to stay here.” Maggie trailed a hand down Alex’s spine. Alex shivered again. Lucy's eyes got darker. Maggie's smile got more smug.

“Yeah, I do,” Alex was just on the verge of pouting but she stopped herself. 

Maggie turned her focus back to Lucy. “Would you like to join me instead, Colonel?” Maggie asked, though it didn’t seem like much of a question. Lucy spent her day commanding people, yet somehow she found it hard to say no to Maggie. She wanted to go with Maggie but she needed to say no. Whatever conversation she saw brewing in Maggie's eyes, she wasn't ready to have it yet. She wasn't ready to spend 90 minutes looking into those eyes and trying to find… what exactly? Some hint of equal desire? She knew it wouldn't be there. Why torture herself. 

Lucy looked between Alex and Maggie before she answered with a, “I'm sorry but I can't tonight.” 

"Some other time then,” Maggie said. “Don’t worry babe, I'll bring you something back,” Maggie pressed a quick kiss to Alex’s lips before she headed out leaving Alex and Lucy alone again.

***

"Soooo…," Kara started as she bounced in place on the couch. "What's up?" They were already mostly done with their Chinese food and Kara had been dying to say something about something all night. Alex could just tell. She couldn't figure out what it was though.

"What's up with what?" Alex was truly baffled as to what Kara might be talking about. She put her Chinese down though. She could sense that whatever it was was serious. At least, it was serious to Kara. 

“What’s up with you and Lucy?” Kara knocked their shoulders together. 

Alex sputtered at her, “nothing’s up with me and Lucy.” Alex blushed. It was the truth. Nothing was going on. It didn't matter that being around Lucy was so easy, that falling into her role as a sub almost seemed as inevitable around Lucy as it did around Maggie. Alex wasn't oblivious. After that night in her and Maggie's apartment it was hard to deny that _something_ was there but that didn't mean that anything was going on. 

Kara pulled her feet up under her and faced Alex on the couch. “Oh come on, you spent half of last Friday staring at her.” 

“I did not!” 

“You totally did. You’d look at Maggie, you’d look at your tiles, then you’d look at Lucy. And then you’d do it all over again. Soooo, I want to know what’s up.” Kara said again.

"And I'm telling you, nothing is up. Lucy and I are friends. That's it." Alex answered, eyes wide. Had she done that? She couldn't remember. She just remembered the nervousness she had felt subbing in front of her friends for the first time and the excitement of knowing Maggie was enjoying it. Had Lucy played a part in that? Was Kara onto something? 

"Yeah, no. You don't look at your friends that way." Kara teased. She wiggled her toes under Alex's thigh. "You don't look at Maggie that way either, you know?" 

"I don't...," Alex said. She started peeling the label from her bottle of beer, "I don't know what you mean."

Kara shrugged. "You look at Maggie like she's the center of your universe," Kara smiled sweetly. "I have never seen two people as in love as you two. It's kinda ridiculous." Kara rubbed Alex's arm comfortingly. "But...You look at Lucy like you want her to eat you alive. And you were showing off for her." 

Alex blushed hard. "I was not. I didn't even know she was going to be there," she responded. It didn't matter that that was exactly what she had done a few nights ago. She'd put herself on display for both Maggie and Lucy without really knowing what she was trying to accomplish. Fucking with them seemed like a thin excuse now.

"Doesn't matter," Kara took a sip of her beer. Why was Kara so damned perceptive? And if Kara had noticed, Maggie had to have noticed as well. What was she going to do? How was she going to explain going from, “I’ll never sub for anyone,” to “I really want both of you to top me at the same time?” 

Alex sighed and buried her face in her hands. "You suck," Alex said. Kara wiggled her toes again and rubbed Alex's thigh comfortingly. "Maybe," Kara said, "But I have ice cream!" Kara popped up and headed to the freezer.

***

Lucy sat in her half unpacked living room and stared at the boxes that still surrounded her. She had been making good progress on getting them unpacked until a few minutes ago. Now she was sitting on the floor staring at a set of cheap leather restraints. They weren’t anything special. Just something she had picked up while she was at Target or something because she needed a pair and couldn’t find her nice ones. She was surprised that she even still had them.

They made her think of Alex. 

They made her think of what she wanted to do to Alex. It was ridiculous that she couldn't put it from her mind. Yes, Alex was beautiful and sexy and clearly able to be so, so good, but Lucy had had crushes or infatuations, or whatever you wanted to call this thing between her and Alex before. She had always been able to get over it, to move on. Why was Alex different?

Was Alex feeling it too? So what if she was? Alex was clearly in a serious relationship with Maggie. Not that thinking of Maggie was any better. She wasn't infatuated the same way she was with Alex, but she couldn't stop thinking about Maggie's hands, what they would look like as they played over Alex's body. Lucy couldn't come between them. She knew what that felt like. James and Kara, hadn't that been exactly this situation? It sucked. She wouldn't be that person. She just, she needed to talk to Alex. She needed to talk to someone.

Not really conscious of what she was doing, Lucy grabbed the keys to her apartment, locked the door behind herself, and started walking.

***

"Alex, open your damn door." Lucy knocked harder the second time only to have the door swing open as she was bringing her fist down again. She pulled back just in time to avoid hitting Maggie in the nose.

"Lucy?" Maggie was confused. Did she know Lucy was coming over? Alex was having sisters' night with Kara, so if Lucy was there it was because she wanted to see Maggie, right? Lucy was looking around her into the apartment though. Maggie stepped back to let her in anyway. "Is there something I can help you with?" 

"Uh, I actually came to see Alex." Lucy stuck her hands in the back pockets of her jeans as she stood in Alex and Maggie's entryway. She wasn't sure why she had gone there. Really, she just meant to go on a walk to clear her head. She had felt so restless at home and her feet had taken her in the direction of Alex and Maggie's apartment. 

"Alex is at Kara's," Maggie said. Lucy didn't seem like the type to drop in unexpectedly. It made her presence that much more confusing. 

"Right. It's sisters' night. I completely forgot." Lucy looked abashed. "I guess I should head out." Lucy sounded as if she was in a trance, mildly frantic but moving slowly. It made Maggie worry so she shrugged, "I'm not really doing anything. You're welcome to stay." 

“Uh, sure. Thanks.” Lucy walked the rest of the way into the apartment. She sat at the counter for lack of anything better to do. She was such an idiot. She shouldn't have come over. While she was busy berating herself, Maggie joined her. She pulled out a pile of takeout menus and slid them over to Lucy. "I don't feel like cooking and you look like you should eat something." 

"Yeah," Lucy said, "I think I might have skipped lunch." She couldn't quite remember. It had been busy out in the desert. "Thai good with you?" Lucy asked. It was easy to fall into this routine. Takeout was an easy topic of conversation. Why she had sought out Alex at nine o'clock on a Thursday night when she knew, of course she knew, Alex wouldn't even be at home, wasn't something she wanted to think about. 

Maggie nodded her assent with a, "get me the drunken noodles," before she started pulling out wine glasses and opening a bottle. "I figured we would start out being responsible before we pulled out the scotch." Maggie poured them glasses, and after Lucy ordered, handed one to her before she joined her on one of the stools. 

"Scotch, huh?" Lucy asked as she sipped her wine. She was slowly starting to relax. It was going to be fine. She and Maggie were going to have dinner, and then Lucy would go home. No harm, no foul. 

Maggie shrugged. "It seems appropriate if we're going to talk about how you want to top Alex."

Lucy nearly inhaled her wine. "What?" Lucy coughed as she tried to clear her airway. This was not fine. This was the opposite of fine. Lucy wasn't denying to herself that it was something she wanted but that didn't mean she would act on it. She was there to talk it out where she _wouldn't_ act on it, but it wasn't something she needed to talk about with Maggie. That was just too mortifying. 

She started to deny it but then wondered if it was even worth it. Probably not. Maggie was both a smart woman and a detective. Lucy really had no choice but to own up to it. "You seem remarkably okay with that." If Maggie was half the detective Lucy thought she was, she would have seen the way Lucy looked at Alex. 

Maggie shrugged, "I trust Alex. She wouldn't do anything without my permission. She might not do anything even if she had it. She’s still,” Maggie looked for the right word. “She’s still skittish in a lot of ways. We haven’t talked about other people.” Maggie didn't think they would ever have to talk about including other people in those parts of their relationship but clearly that wasn't going to be the case. Even if she and Alex decided it was off limits, it was going to have to be something they talked about because she had seen the way Alex looked at Lucy too. 

“I don’t… I wouldn’t…,” Lucy didn’t even know what she was trying to say. She was still trying to figure it out when the delivery arrived. Maggie paid for it before Lucy could get halfway to her purse. Then there was food sitting in front of her. 

“You should eat,” Maggie said kindly and gestured toward Lucy’s food as she dug into her own. “We can keep talking after.” 

"Right," Lucy nodded. She ate like she was on death row, each bite bringing her closer to her fate. What was her fate? She couldn't believe how calm Maggie was about the whole thing. It was weird. It was weird, right?

Finally, there was nothing left to distract either of them. Lucy drained her second glass of wine just to have something to do. Rather than refilling it, Maggie re-corked the bottle. She cleaned up what was left of their meal and pulled a bottle of scotch from one of the cabinets. "Interested?" she asked. 

"If we're going to keep talking about,” Lucy made a vague hand gesture, "then definitely." 

Maggie cracked a smile and poured doubles for both of them before sliding one to Lucy. "Come sit on the couch with me," Maggie said as she walked across the apartment. Lucy felt like she couldn't say no. She settled on one end of the couch, as far from Maggie as she could get while staying on the same piece of furniture. 

"I don't want you to think I'm going to do anything," Lucy trailed off. She couldn't do anything. "It's just a crush. It'll pass."

"Maybe," Maggie sighed and carefully put her drink down. "Maybe not. Alex is comfortable around you. She's comfortable in a way she isn't with anyone else except me. She doesn't…," Maggie looked away and then back. "The other night. She didn't just sit around half naked to be an asshole. I mean, she did, but… she's never done it when someone else is here. Only when we're alone."

Lucy had a sudden flash of just what Alex and Maggie might get up to when they were home alone. She could see the subtle modifications to the living room furniture. Unlike some, they weren't the type of people to be overt about their sex lives but Lucy could see at least three different ways Maggie could tie Alex up in that one room alone. She hadn't been paying attention while they were eating to notice anything in the kitchen but it was probably similarly outfitted. She wondered if things were less subtle in the bedroom. She was honest enough with herself to admit that she wanted to see their bedroom, preferably with both of them in it.

"Alex is barely willing to be submissive around her friends. Yet, she did it without question when you were here. She did it _for_ you, even if it seemed like she was doing it for me. Don't get me wrong, it was for me too, but she knew it would get to you, that it did get to you, and that's exactly why she did it,” Maggie said. There were times when Alex was still an enigma to her. Lucy, it seemed, brought that out in Alex. Maggie took a sip of her scotch, "So, yeah, I think this is something we need to talk about." 

"I don't know what you want me to say," Lucy replied. It was all just too much. Alex wasn't supposed to want her back. Maggie wasn't supposed to be so stupidly open-minded. This was supposed to put her feeling to rest, not give her hope that something might happen in the future. 

"I want to know what you want," Maggie said. "How do you see this playing out?"

"I…," Lucy stuttered, "I don't know. This wasn't why I came here tonight." Lucy took a too big sip of her scotch and ended up choking on it.

"Wasn't it?" Maggie asked. "Come on, Lucy. You know that Alex and Kara hang out every Thursday night. If you knew you couldn't see Alex, why are you here?" Maggie pushed.

"Look, Maggie, I appreciate that you didn't pull a gun on me the second you knew I was into Alex, but it's just a passing thing. I forgot it was sisters' night. It doesn't mean anything. I just wanted to talk to Alex about… I don't even know," that was a blatant lie. "Thank you for the dinner and the scotch, but I'm going to go home now." Lucy stood up, placed her glass in the kitchen, and was at the door before Maggie could say anything else. Lucy practically whispered a, "good night," before she let herself out of the apartment. 

Maggie slumped back into the couch. That wasn't how she had expected her night to go. She and Alex really needed to find some time to have a talk.

***

Alex was just getting to her building when Lucy came rushing out of the door. Alex smiled. she was always happy to see Lucy, but it seemed like Lucy didn't see her. In fact, she was rushing off in the opposite direction. Why was Lucy even at her apartment when Alex wasn't around? Had she and Maggie become friends?

Alex climbed the stairs up to their floor and let herself in. Maggie was sitting on the couch, glass of scotch in hand. 

"Hey, babe," Alex said as she put her jacket on the hook by the door. Maggie startled, like she had been lost in her own thoughts. Alex walked over to the couch and draped her arms around Maggie from behind. She placed a light kiss on the curve of Maggie's neck. "Was that Lucy I saw running off as I got home?" Alex asked.

Maggie responded with a low hum and a, "Yeah." She drank the rest of her scotch before putting the glass down on the coffee table. "She came by to ask you something about work but left when you weren't here." Maggie wouldn't keep Lucy's secret forever, but she would keep it for a while. Alex looked at the second scotch glass sitting in the kitchen. "Work huh?" 

"Yeah," Maggie said. She looped and arm back to pull Alex down into a deeper kiss. If her plan was to distract Alex, it worked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments continue to be amazing and I continue to be @twtd11 on tumblr. Come talk to me!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It didn't help that Lucy appeared to be avoiding her. There were no more impromptu visits. no banter in the emails Lucy sent. No more phone calls that lasted longer than necessary. Everytime Alex tried to engage her, there was always an excuse why Lucy couldn't stick around. 
> 
> It was one more frustration on the pile that she already had.
> 
> Sitting in her office, Alex sighed and rubbed her forehead. She signed off on another form and wished that J'onn would come back. Her poker game with Vasquez was coming up and she was looking forward to it even more than normal. Maybe she would try inviting Lucy anyway.
> 
>  
> 
> Things come to a head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have multiple amazing betas in AMSNI, un_petit_oiseau, and mr-alex-unofficially. I also have no idea where this is going next, but I do have all weekend free to work on it, so fear not!

Alex was worried about J'onn. He had been gone for three weeks now and there had been no word. Alex wasn't sure exactly when it would be time to send Kara after him, or even if it would do any good. If J'onn and M'gann died, there would be no way for them to know. 

Alex didn't have much free time. Between running missions and doing paperwork (Lucy was right, it was the worst part of the job), most of her time was spent focusing on other things, but when it wasn't, she would sit in her office and worry. Running the DEO wasn't proving to be a problem, though eventually Washington would notice J'onn had been gone too long and assign someone else to take over, but she missed being out in the field. She missed facing the unexpected. She missed the rush, and the improvisation, and the creativity necessary to get back in one piece. As acting director, she had no choice but to watch and wait for her agents to come back to her. She knew that going in, but the reality of it was much harder. 

It didn't help that Lucy appeared to be avoiding her. There were no more impromptu visits. no banter in the emails Lucy sent. No more phone calls that lasted longer than necessary. Everytime Alex tried to engage her, there was always an excuse why Lucy couldn't stick around. 

It was one more frustration on the pile that she already had.

Sitting in her office, Alex sighed and rubbed her forehead. She signed off on another form and wished that J'onn would come back. Her poker game with Vasquez was coming up and she was looking forward to it even more than normal. Maybe she would try inviting Lucy anyway.

***

It was late, but not too late, when Lucy's phone rang. She answered it without looking at her caller ID. If someone was calling her at this time of night, it must be important, so she wasn't prepared for Alex's, "Hey."

Lucy held her breath for a moment before she responded by saying, "Hello, Alex." It would have been easier if she could say, "Agent Danvers," but this was obviously a personal call. 

"What can I do for you?" There, polite but not overly familiar. Different enough from her usual greeting that maybe Alex would get the message. 

Alex took a minute to answer. "Vasquez and I have our monthly poker game out at the desert base. We're playing in a couple of days, and we– I– thought you might be interested."

"I'm sorry, Alex. I can't," Lucy said. She wanted to go, wanted to spend time with Alex away from work, and away from expectations, and, she was ashamed to admit it, away from Maggie's too understanding eyes. But she couldn't. She couldn't do that to herself, and she couldn't do that to Alex. She had to stay away. 

Alex huffed, "Lucy, what's up? You've been avoiding me for a weeks now. I know you like playing and I know you're off. I thought we could catch up. Maybe have dinner before the game."

Why was Alex making it so hard to say no? Lucy sighed, "I just, I can't. Like I said, I'm sorry. And I need to go." She didn't wait for Alex's goodbye before she hung up.

***

"She's being weird," Alex said as she chopped vegetables to go in her and Maggie's dinner. It was the only thing Maggie allowed her to do in the kitchen besides make toast and pour cereal.

"Like, suddenly everything is 'Agent Danvers' this, and 'Agent Danvers' that. We normally have this phone call every day to keep each other up to date on what's going on, but they've been getting shorter and shorter, and she's canceled the last three of them altogether and just sent me an email update. It's weird. She's avoiding me." 

She really was worried about Lucy and what was going on with her. She just couldn't figure it out. As far as Alex could tell, she hadn't done anything over the past few weeks to make Lucy uncomfortable. Unless it was that night in Alex and Maggie's apartment. But Lucy had seemed fine after that. 

"Yeah, babe, I don't know," Maggie said. Alex was probably right. Lucy probably was avoiding her. Maggie hated that she was the cause of that. She couldn't explain that to Alex though, not without revealing things that Lucy wouldn't want Alex to know. Maggie had learned her lesson there. "Maybe she's just having a bad week or something?"

"I'd believe that if it had just been a week, but it's almost been a month. She didn't come to the last game night. I tried inviting her to the poker game and she completely blew me off. It isn't like her," Alex sighed as she pushed the now chopped vegetables toward Maggie. Maggie rubbed Alex's back. 

"I'm sorry that I can't help, babe." Maggie said. She dumped all of the vegetables into a pan where they sizzled, then she turned to Alex and pulled her into her arms. "Have you tried telling her you're worried?"

Alex nuzzled into the crook of Maggie's shoulder. "Of course I have. She just won't talk back," Alex sighed again. "Do you think she's been taken over by an alien?" It was a light hearted, if not impossible, suggestion. Maggie laughed. 

"No, I don't think she's been taken over by an alien," she said. "Like I said, she's probably just feeling off. Give it some time. She'll figure out whatever is going on and you'll get your friend back." Maggie placed a kiss on the side of Alex's head. Maybe it was time for _her_ to have another talk with Lucy.

***

Maggie tapped on Lucy's door. She could see the light on underneath the door so she was fairly certain that Lucy was at home. She heard someone moving about, and then the door opened.

"Maggie?" Lucy asked. She put her gun down as she unchained the lock to let Maggie inside. Maggie could already smell the alcohol on Lucy's breath and she wondered what had inspired Lucy to drink alone. "Come in," Lucy said. 

Between Alex and Maggie unexpectedly showing up at her door, Lucy would have bet on Alex, particularly since she had started to try to keep her distance. Maggie stepped into the apartment and handed Lucy a bottle of whiskey. "I brought this, but I see that you don't need it." She nodded toward the already open bottle on Lucy's coffee table and the finger of brown liquor in the glass sitting next to it. 

"You should join me," Lucy said. She was already two glasses in and starting to feel the effects. It made her looser, more friendly. She closed the door behind Maggie and slowly padded toward her kitchen to retrieve another glass. "What brings you here, Detective? Investigating a crime?" Lucy joked as she walked back over to where Maggie was standing and motioned to her couch. Once Lucy got there, she plopped down somewhere in the middle, leaving Maggie to choose which side of Lucy she wanted to be on. She picked the one closest to where she was already standing. 

"No crime," Maggie took the glass Lucy handed her. "How many in are you?" she nodded toward Lucy's drink. "I feel like I need to catch up," she said as she downed the too-nice-for-it whiskey. 

"Two, but you don't," Lucy said. "You do need to tell me why you've decided to join me tonight." Lucy raised an eyebrow as she refilled Maggie's glass. 

"You're avoiding Alex," Maggie said simply, as if there wasn't a complex host of emotions behind the situation. 

Lucy sighed and put her feet up on the coffee table as she leaned slightly into Maggie's space. "Yes," Lucy replied. "It seemed like the best idea." She took a deep breath. "I can't… I can't deal with it right now."

"Well, you need to. Alex thinks you've been taken over by an alien because you won't play poker with her," Maggie said. She wanted to reach out to Lucy but she stopped herself. Lucy probably wouldn't appreciate it right now.

Lucy laughed, "That's absurd." Was it really so out of character that Alex was blaming aliens now? She was going to have to be more careful or Alex would be forcing her to go to medical for a complete work-up. If Alex was the one doing it, Lucy might not say no.

"Exactly." Maggie reached over and, despite her reservations, put her hand on Lucy's thigh. "I asked you this the last time we talked, and you didn't have an answer, but what do you want?" Maggie wanted to get to the bottom of this. She wanted to stop worrying, to stop keeping this secret from Alex. They still hadn't had a talk about any sort of non-monogamy, and it still needed to happen, but it seemed pointless if Lucy wasn't going to own up to what she really wanted out of the situation. Maggie didn't want to knock over a hornet's nest for no reason. 

"I don't know," Lucy said. "I don't know." She sounded so distressed Maggie almost stopped there, but she couldn't let this go on.

"That's bullshit. Of course you know. You just won't admit it," Maggie pushed. She just… she needed Lucy to say it.

Lucy rubbed her forehead and poured herself another drink, which she drank far too quickly. "You already know that I want her. Why do I need to say it?" Lucy asked. 

Maggie shrugged. "We aren't going to get anywhere if you won't talk about this. You'll have to go on avoiding Alex forever, making her paranoid in the process, and causing both of you to lose a friend over a problem that might have a simple solution." 

"There is no simple solution to my wanting someone I can't have," Lucy's voice was tight. "And you…," Lucy made a frustrated noise. 

"Me? What about me?" Maggie asked. She didn't know what she had to do with anything. This was between Alex and Lucy. She was completely unprepared when Lucy twisted around and kissed her. That was why she automatically kissed Lucy back. That was why she pressed her tongue into Lucy's mouth, chasing after the taste of whiskey still on Lucy's breath. That was why she had her hands on Lucy's waist, ready to push her down onto the couch. But then her brain kicked in and Maggie pulled away. She was breathing hard and Lucy was still close. 

"She isn't the only one I want," Lucy whispered. She went in for another kiss but Maggie moved away. 

"We can't…," she held Lucy at arm's length. "Not without talking to Alex first." 

Lucy pulled away and scrubbed her face with her hands. "I'm sorry. I didn't… I wasn't thinking. I can't seem to think around either of you." Lucy blushed. She got up and moved away from Maggie, her own arms wrapped protectively around her waist. 

Maggie ran her fingers through her hair. God, what was she supposed to do with that? She hadn't been thinking about Lucy in terms of the three of them, just the problem of Lucy and Alex. How had she missed it? Had the fire in Lucy's eyes always included her as well? Maggie couldn't be sure. Maggie swallowed hard, "I know this is hypocritical, but I think I need to leave. I need some time… I need to talk to Alex." 

Lucy nodded. What else could she do? "Yeah, of course." 

Maggie got up and headed toward the door, but once she was there, she felt Lucy at her back. Lucy grabbed her hand and stopped her from leaving. "I know what I want," she said as she looked up at Maggie. "I want both of you, and I want you together." 

A wave of desire ran through Maggie but the only thing she could do was nod. "Go play poker with Alex," she said then she opened the door and walked away.

***

Lucy tapped on the door frame of the small conference room and waited to be acknowledged. Alex, Vasquez and two other agents were sitting around the table counting out chips, shuffling cards, and otherwise getting settled for the night. They all looked up at the tap. "I heard you might have space for one more," she said a bit nervously.

Alex beamed as she looked to Vasquez and Vasquez gave a little nod. They were in agreement. "Yes ma'am. Pull up a chair," Vasquez said as they motioned toward one of the empty chairs in the conference room. 

"Please, _please_ it's just Lucy tonight," Lucy said as she pushed up the sleeves of her black uniform shirt. 

"Of course, ma'am," Vasquez said with a twinkle in their eye. 

Lucy rolled her own eyes before sitting down and pulling some cash out of her pocket. "What's the buy in?" she asked. 

"Fifty," Alex answered, beaming at Lucy. Lucy slid her money into the already established pile, took her chips from Donovan, and smiled back at Alex. She could do this. She could get through a couple of hours without doing, hell, even _thinking_ , anything inappropriate. She had more than enough self control.

***

She didn't have enough self control. Roberts had flamed out early and was in the process of getting them whatever edible snacks she could find in the cafeteria. Donovan was, to only Lucy's surprise, up by $100. The rest of them were hovering around their initial buy in, and Lucy was going crazy. Alex kept touching her. It was just a hand on her arm or fingertips brushing against her shoulder, but it was constant. And Alex kept doing things for her. She would refill her drink or grab a chip that rolled away from Lucy. It could all be chalked up to general politeness, but it didn't feel that way. It felt like more. It felt like Alex was focused on her in a more than friendly way, like Alex was trying to anticipate her needs before she noticed, before she could give her an order. She had seen Alex do it with Maggie and been envious. It was something else entirely to be the focus of that attention.

Lucy was so wrapped up in her thoughts she entirely missed that it was her turn to open the betting.

"Earth to Lucy," Alex said as she kicked her foot under the table. Lucy came back to herself and tossed in more chips than her cards deserved as Alex's foot came to rest against her own. Their knees knocked together but Alex didn’t move away. Did Alex even know what she was doing? Lucy wasn't sure what she wanted the answer to be, but she didn't pull back either.

Lucy lost the hand. Donovan increased her lead. 

"I'm out for a few minutes," Lucy said as she got up and stretched. Roberts was back with the snacks. Alex sat up straighter and followed Lucy with her eyes as if trying to judge if Lucy needed her for something. As Lucy left the room, she heard Alex say, "You know what, why don't we take a break?" and the echoing murmurs of assent.

***

Lucy walked out of the bathroom and straight into Alex. Alex was lounging against the wall just opposite the door. "Waiting for me?" Lucy tried to joke but it fell flat in the face of Alex's serious expression.

"Unless you object, we've decided we're done giving Donovan our money for the night. The others are in there eating snacks, but I feel like I haven't seen you in weeks and I was wondering if we could talk." Alex's too sincere expression made it impossible for Lucy to say no. 

"Sure," she said. "Is my office okay?" It was just around the corner, it was private, and maybe it was Lucy's way of reminding herself that she was in control. Alex nodded and followed Lucy down the hall. Once they were there, Lucy unlocked the door and turned on her desk lamp, forgoing the harsh overhead lights. 

"You're not on call, are you?" Lucy said as she pulled the bottle of whiskey and two glasses from a drawer. 

"No," Alex answered as she took a seat on the small couch, only slightly bigger than a loveseat, that was now wedged into a previously empty part of the room. When everyone had been based out in the desert, J'onn had had a bunk there. Now it was a sitting area, the couch joined by two chairs. It was just another way Lucy was putting her own mark on the place. Lucy brought over their glasses and, rather than picking one of the chairs, settled down next to Alex. She knew it was a bad idea, but she did it anyway. 

They sat there in silence, sipping at their drinks, for a long moment before Lucy had to break the ice. "So, what did you want to talk about?" she asked. 

Alex shrugged and leaned forward her elbows braced on her knees. "Things have been weird lately. I just want to know why," Alex said, looking over at Lucy. 

"Alex…," Lucy tried to come up with a believable reason that wasn't the truth. 

"No, Lucy," Alex took Lucy's drink from her hand and put both of their drinks on the coffee table. "Don't bullshit me. I'm a big girl. Give me the real reason." 

Lucy couldn't stop herself. She reached up and brushed her fingertips over Alex's collar. Alex sucked in a breath and instinctively dropped her head, her heart racing. Alex sighed and something inside of her settled. It was like when Maggie did the same thing. 

"Oh," Alex breathed out. She knew instantly what Lucy wanted. She looked up at Lucy but kept her head angled down. She leaned forward just a bit to press her neck fully into Lucy's hand.

Lucy held her hand there - she couldn't have pulled away if she tried. Her fingers wrapped around Alex's neck over the collar. She could feel Alex's pulse. She started to pull Alex in, but just as Alex was getting close enough to kiss, she dropped her hand and moved back. She didn’t want to. God, she wanted to be able to kiss Alex. She couldn’t do this again, though. It wouldn’t be as much of a surprise as when she kissed Maggie, but they still wouldn’t have talked about it. It wouldn’t be fair to any of them. And she couldn’t deal with more rejection. Alex let out a disappointed whimper but echoed Lucy's movements, leaning away. 

"That's uh…" Lucy cleared her throat and picked up her drink again taking a sip before she continued, "That's why I've been…" She got up and started pacing. "I'm not going to get what I want, and it's too hard, Alex," Lucy said. "It's too hard to be around either of you and know that." Lucy downed the rest of her drink and put her glass down a little too hard. "I can't have you. I can't have her. And everytime we're together, I can't get away from feeling like I could," Her voice was getting more strident with each pass she took through her office. "God, Alex, don't you understand why I just _can't_?" 

Alex swallowed hard and ran a hand through her hair. "Yeah. I get it." She didn't know what else to say, but she definitely got it. She knew she had a thing for Lucy. Her talk with Kara had made that abundantly clear. That Lucy might want her back, that Lucy might want Maggie, well, she hadn't thought about that. It made her blush, and she didn't know how to cope with this new possibility.

Lucy threw herself into one of the chairs. "And I'm sorry about last night. I wasn't thinking straight." 

"Last night?" As far as Alex knew, nothing had happened the night before. She had worked a late shift and come home to Maggie already in bed and asleep.

"Maggie hasn't…?" Lucy asked. She would have thought for sure Maggie would have already told Alex about their kiss. Wasn't Maggie the one who always wanted to talk about everything? Shit. "It was nothing, I promise," Lucy knew that made her sound guilty, but it was the first thing that came to mind.

"What was nothing?" Now Alex was even more suspicious. Had Maggie and Lucy slept together? Maggie wouldn't do that, would she?

"I kissed her," Lucy blurted out. There was no sense in keeping it a secret. 

"What?" Alex was in shock. Why hadn't Maggie told her? It wasn't as bad as she feared, but it still wasn't good. Particularly because Maggie hadn't told her about it. 

"Like I said, it was nothing and I'm sorry," Lucy responded. 

"I can't believe you would…," Alex looked down. She wrapped a hand around her throat over her collar and just sat there for a long moment. 

"Please don't be mad at her," Lucy broke the silence. "We were just talking about about how I needed to stop avoiding you. She kept pushing me to tell her about what I wanted, like it was going to matter, like telling her was going to make it happen, and I just snapped or something. I told you, it was my fault. I kissed her."

"I'm sorry, I need to go." Alex stood. She looked around but didn't really see the room. She didn't know what she was supposed to do with this new information. She couldn't stay there. She couldn't stay in the same room as Lucy. She didn't want to go home. She didn't know what she was going to do, but leaving was step one. 

As Alex closed the door behind her, Lucy deflated. She had hoped… But she had known that hope wouldn't pan out. Maggie might have made it seem like everything would be fine, but Lucy had known better. Now everything was fucked.

***

Maggie had her service weapon and her badge locked away before she noticed Alex standing beside the couch. She had obviously just gotten up, and there was something in her eyes that Maggie had never seen before. "Hey babe," she said as she walked over and leaned in to kiss Alex.

Alex pulled away from her before their lips could meet. That wasn't something Alex had ever done before. "What's wrong?" Maggie asked, already wary of what the answer would be. 

"Lucy told me about last night." Alex wrapped her arms around herself protectively. "She told me about the kiss, and she told me about the conversation."

"I guess she took my advice and showed up to the poker game," Maggie said for lack of anything better to say.

"Yeah, she took your advice," Alex said. "But is that really want you want to focus on right now?" Alex's voice was sharp.

"No, you're right," Maggie said. She swallowed hard. "I was going to tell you about the kiss. I promise."

Alex sighed. "I don't care about the kiss. You kissed her. I almost kissed her. Everyone in this apartment wants to kiss Lucy Lane," Alex said. She sounded almost defeated. "I'm pissed because you had a whole conversation with her about me and about what I might want and you didn't think I needed to be involved in it."

"It wasn't like that," Maggie said. "I was going to talk to you about it. I was going to talk to you about it after I talked to Lucy the first time, but there wasn't a good time."

“Wait, the _first_ time? You’ve had other conversations about this? About me? About, what, inviting Lucy into bed with us?” Alex's anger was back. 

“Just one. And it wasn’t about you. It was about Lucy. Both of the conversations were about Lucy. And the first one made her avoid you for a month, so…” Maggie shrugged. There was really nothing she could say in the face of Alex's anger. 

“You had a conversation about our sex life with Lucy a month ago and you’re telling me now that there wasn't a good time for us to discuss it? In that month she was avoiding me, you couldn't possibly found a time to tell me what was really going on?" Alex's voice rose as she walked away from Maggie.

"It wasn't my place," Maggie said to Alex's back. 

"Fuck your place," Alex said as she turned back around. "You should have talked to me before you even thought about talking to Lucy. She said you made her think it was a possibility. Why would you do that before you knew how I felt?"

"Because how you felt was obvious. You sat around half naked at her feet, Alex. Was I not supposed to read anything into that?"

"At _your_ feet. I was sitting at your feet. It was hardly the first time," Alex said.

"It was the first time you did it with someone else here. So if you didn't do it for her, then why'd you do it?" Maggie asked. 

"Because it felt right, okay? You're the one always telling me to follow my instincts. Well I did. You don't get to be pissed when I do what you want me to do." Alex was yelling again.

"Fine, you didn't do it for her, but you didn't just do it for me either. And you _knew_ how she was going to react. She was one look away from jumping you that night and you were encouraging her. What, did you think I didn't notice?" Maggie asked. She was sure that if she had left the room that night, she would have come back to Alex and Lucy making out on the couch. The tension had been obvious and she wasn't going to let Alex just brush it off. 

"You know what? Maybe we should be having this conversation with Lucy," Alex said pointedly. She picked up her phone, found Lucy's contact, and handed it to Maggie. "You get her over here since you're the one she's willing to talk to." With that, Alex stalked away. She wanted to pour herself a scotch but opted for water instead. By the time she was finished, Maggie was off of the phone. 

"She'll be here in fifteen minutes," Maggie said

“Fine,” Alex stormed into the bedroom and slammed the door.

***

Lucy knocked on Alex and Maggie's door, uncertain of just what she was going to find on the other side. Maggie had just said it was important, but it hadn't sounded good. She was startled when the door opened with more force than usual.

Maggie let Lucy into the apartment without a word. 

Lucy stepped in with trepidation. "I'm sorry I told Alex," Lucy said quietly. "I thought you would have talked to her about it already." Lucy shrugged ineffectually. 

"Don't be sorry. I should have," Maggie said her voice just as quiet as Lucy's.

"So what–," Lucy started to say, but just then the bedroom door opened, and Alex stalked out. She was in nothing but her boyshorts and Lucy couldn't help but suck in a breath at Alex's toplessness. It distracted her enough that she didn't resist when Alex pushed her up against the door and started kissing her. She gasped at suddenly having so much naked flesh pressed against her, and as her mouth opened, Alex's tongue invaded. She couldn't help it. She kissed Alex back for a second before she came back to herself and put her hands on Alex's shoulders to push her away. Alex was surprisingly persistent. As soon as their lips parted, Alex was kissing Lucy's neck, nipping at it as she got close to Lucy's ear. 

"What's wrong?" Alex asked, her voice low. "Isn't this what you wanted?" 

Lucy pushed Alex away more forcefully and said, "Not like this." Alex had to take a step back. She turned to Maggie, eyes blazing. "What about you?" she asked. "Is this doing it for you?"

"Alex, stop," Maggie pleaded. She was officially out of her depth. She had no idea what Alex was doing. 

"No," Alex's voice was strident as she closed in on Maggie. "This was what you were talking about, wasn't it? Two doms deciding what to do with a sub?" She stood there with her hands clenched into fists. 

"It wasn't like that," Maggie said. Her hands were out placatingly. "I promise you, it wasn't like that." 

"How can I know that? _I wasn't there_ ," Alex shouted. She had completely forgotten about Lucy as she focused on her argument with Maggie. She was surprised when she heard an, "Alex…," behind her. She wheeled around. "No," she said, "You don't get to talk either." She pointed a finger at Lucy. 

Lucy fell silent.

"Is this not how you pictured the night going?" Alex asked. She dropped to her knees. "Is this better?" She looked up at both of them. Neither of them had a response. 

"No, Alex, no it isn't," Maggie said regretfully. She tried to go to Alex, to take her arm and help her up, but Alex shook her off. Alex glared at both of them. 

"Then maybe next time you'll think before you talk about me like what I want doesn't matter." Alex got up and headed toward the bedroom. "Both of you should leave," She threw over her shoulder as she slammed the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments: still amazing! And I love the ones I've gotten so far. They really do inspire me to keep writing this thing that has eaten my brain and gotten way longer than I expected. 
> 
> If you flail at me on tumblr, I will flail back at you. Seriously, I won't shut up about these three idiots.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Your collar. I can take it off for you if you want," Kara nodded toward the collar that still adorned Alex's neck, the one she had been so reluctant to put on, the one that had taken her months to get used to. Kara could snap it like it was made of paper.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I still have amazing betas in AMSNI, un_petit_oiseau, and mr-alex-unofficially. 
> 
> This chapter is really long, but there was no good way to split it up. I'm sure you guys are crying ;) This is also likely the second to last chapter unless I write an epilogue.

Maggie got as far as the street before she pulled up short. What now? Lucy stopped beside her and seemed just as lost. Maggie took one look at her and made up her mind. She started marching her down the street with a, "come on," thrown over her shoulder. Lucy tripped after Maggie, finally catching up after a couple of steps. 

"Where are we going?" Lucy asked. Her head was still spinning. She had clearly walked into a conversation that was more than just about her, but she didn't know what her place in it was. She didn't know anything. She was just confused and still reeling from having Alex in her arms. 

"There's a diner down the street. We're going to go there, and I'm going to eat some pie, and we are going to have yet another conversation about this before I go back to my apartment and apologize to Alex," Maggie said. They needed to clear some things up before the night ended and things somehow managed to get worse. 

"And a diner is the best place to have that conversation?" Lucy asked. In public seemed like the worst place to have this sort of conversation. Lucy kept following Maggie anyway. 

"Well, we can't talk at my place and we're sure as hell not going back to your place, and the diner is close by." In fact, they were already there. Maggie opened the door and ushered Lucy inside. The bell over the door chimed and they got a hello from the bored waitress as she motioned for them to sit anywhere. There was one other couple there, but they seemed wrapped up in their milkshakes. Maggie picked a booth in the back, as far away from them as possible. The waitress slid menus in front of them, but Maggie didn't even look at hers before ordering a slice of the cherry pie. Lucy just ordered coffee. 

"So, what did you want to talk about?" Lucy asked as she settled back into the booth as their orders were delivered. 

Maggie rubbed her forehead. "I don't… I can't…," Maggie sighed. "I'm not keeping your secrets anymore, not from Alex." 

"I never asked you to keep my secrets," Lucy replied. "I never even asked you to know my secrets, but at this point, I don't think I have any left," She looked down at her coffee. Maggie reached out and put a hand over Lucy's. "I'm sorry," Maggie said. "I should have just left it alone."

Lucy sighed, "Probably." She shrugged. "But it's out there now. And I'm sorry that it's caused problems between you and Alex. That was the last thing I wanted." 

"You didn't cause these problems. I did. I kept putting off talking to her and that's the number one way for her to end up mad. She doesn't like it when people assume they know her opinion. That was my mistake." 

"'Why didn't you talk to her? You're the one who always wanted to talk to me," Lucy said.

"I guess…," Maggie ran her fingers through her hair. "I knew what her answer would be, at least I assumed I did, and I knew what my answer would be, and I wasn't ready for things to change. Now, things have changed anyway." 

"And what would your answer have been?" Lucy couldn't help the curiosity even though she knew the answer was going to hurt. There was no world in which they would actually want her. She looked down. 

Maggie looked at Lucy sympathetically and rubbed her arm. "Yes. Of course, it would have been yes. With Alex, with the three of us, whatever she wanted, my answer would have been yes." She ducked her head down to meet Lucy's eyes. "I can't say no to Alex, not when she actually wants something. And despite the fact that I shouldn't make assumptions, I knew, _I know_ , that she wants you too." 

The pained look didn't leave Lucy's eyes. She didn't know if that answer was better or worse than outright rejection. There really had been a chance and now it was gone. Lucy sat up straight and took a sip of her coffee. "Well, thanks for telling me," she said as she moved to stand up. Maggie caught her hand and kept her from leaving. "You should know, Alex doesn't do things halfway. One argument isn't going to change anything. For either of us." 

Maggie didn't know why she did it, maybe it was just out of a desire to comfort Lucy, or maybe there was some other motivation behind it, but she placed a kiss over Lucy's knuckles as they made eye contact then she let Lucy pull her hand away and leave. Maggie needed to go back home and see if Alex was willing to talk.

***

Alex was full of pent up energy fueled by her anger when she knocked on Kara's door. Kara had barely opened the door before Alex was striding past her and into her apartment.

"Alex, what…?" Kara started to Alex before Alex interrupted her.

"I'm going to kill them. I'm going to kill Maggie and then I'm going to kill Lucy and then I'm going to kill Maggie again," Alex said as she paced across Kara's living room. 

"Whoa, okay," Kara said as she tried to approach Alex. Instead, she just ended up ducking out of her way. "What did Maggie and Lucy do?" Kara asked. She finally intercepted Alex, grabbing her by her upper arms to get her to be still. Alex huffed but stopped pacing. Kara let go. 

"I don't… I can't…," Alex shook her head then ran her fingers through her hair in frustration. "Can I stay here for the night?" she asked. "Maybe a couple of nights?"

"Of course," Kara said, her brow furrowed in confusion. "Do you, do you want some food or something?" 

"I don't think I can eat right now," Alex said in frustration. 

"Wow, whatever's going on must be serious." Kara's eyebrows were furrowed as she regarded her sister. Alex was always up to help her consume her 12,000 calorie a day diet. 

"They were just… You know how much I hate it when people try to make decisions for me."

"Yeah. Yeah, I do," Kara said. "Is that the problem?" 

Alex shot Kara a look as if that was obvious.

"Right, well, I know you said you weren't hungry, but I think I could use a pizza," Kara said as she grabbed the phone and hit speed dial. Maybe Alex would eat something anyway and Kara could get the actual story out of her.

***

Maggie tapped on the door to the apartment before she used her key to open it. "Alex?" she questioned as she looked around. She did a quick search of the apartment. Alex wasn't there and neither was her overnight bag. Hopefully, Kara would know where she was.

***

Alex walked into the desert base and straight over to Vasquez's station. "Is Director Lane in?" She asked. Vasquez wasn't actually Lucy's secretary, but they would know and Alex was hoping she could avoid Lucy altogether. She just wanted to drop off her report and then get back to the city.

Vasquez gave her an odd look as she answered, "yes ma'am. She's in her office." 

Alex sighed and rubbed her forehead. "Thanks," she said as she headed in that direction.

The walk took less than a minute and Alex took a deep breath before she knocked on Lucy's door. She wasn't ready to see her yet, but it seemed like she had no choice. 

A, "come in," floated through the door. It was time. Alex pushed the door open. 

Lucy's eyes went wide as she saw Alex. She hadn't expected to see the other woman anytime soon. "Alex," she said, "what brings you out here?" 

Alex walked into the room and held out her report. "Just dropping this off," she said as she held out the report. Lucy took it and glanced at the cover page. 

"Thank you," she sighed at the formal way Alex was standing. "Look, can we talk?" she had a feeling she was about to get shot down, but she tried anyway.

"Is it about that report?" Alex asked.

"No. I wanted to talk about the other night," Alex had been avoiding her for the last several days, though Lucy couldn't really blame her. Hadn't Lucy been doing the exact same thing just a week before?

"I'm sorry, Director. I need to get back to the city," Alex said curtly. "If that's all?" she asked. 

"Yes, that's all, Agent Danvers." It was the only way Lucy could respond. Even before she was finished, Alex was turning on her heel and leaving the office. As the door closed, Lucy stared down at the report. It did need to be hand delivered, but any of the agents in the city could have brought it out. Why had Alex even bothered to do it herself if she didn't want to talk? Lucy sat back in her chair. She wasn't going to figure Alex out any time soon. She might as well read the damn report.

***

"I can take it off, you know," Kara said. Alex was sitting on the couch staring into space as she played with the collar around her neck. She startled when she heard Kara's voice.

"Take what off?" she asked. She hadn't really been paying attention.

"Your collar. I can take it off for you if you want," Kara nodded toward the collar that still adorned Alex's neck, the one she had been so reluctant to put on, the one that had taken her months to get used to. Kara could snap it like it was made of paper. Alex shook her head.

"No," she said. "No, that's okay." Truthfully, she couldn't imagine going without it now. Maggie… she was still so angry with Maggie, but she wasn't ready to give up on their relationship. Not yet.

Maggie had briefly spoken to Kara the night Alex had left and Alex had let Kara tell Maggie where she was, but for now, Maggie seemed to be keeping her distance. Alex wasn't sure if that was good or not. Had Maggie given up on them? Alex didn't think so, not without talking to her again at least. Alex didn't know what she would say if Maggie did initiate contact. She tugged on her collar one more time before she dropped her hand. 

She took a deep breath and looked at Kara. "How about we order some potstickers?" 

"Sure," Kara replied. It was the first meal that Alex had instigated in the time she had been staying with Kara. Kara took that as a good sign.

***

The signal that came into the DEO was filled with static, but it was still recognizably J'onn. Alex came running out of her office when Winn yelled for her. She slid into the command center and looked up to the big screen and into the camera.

"J'onn," she said. "What's going on? Are you okay? Is M'gann okay?" She asked.

J'onn held up his hands to stop her stream of questions. "Everything is fine for now, Alex," He said as he tried to calm everyone down. "Everyone is safe. We're just doing some cleanup and I'm helping M'gann settle into a new base," he reassured her. "I should be back by the end of next week." 

Alex exhaled and released all of the tension she didn't know she had been carrying around. 

"That's good to hear. Do you need anything?" she asked. 

J'onn waved her off. "I promise, we're fine. And I'll see you next week." J'onn cut the transmission. Alex smiled. She needed to tell Lucy. Her smile fell and some of the tension returned. She wasn't looking forward to that phone call.

***

Alex looked up at the knock on Kara's door. As far as she knew, Kara wasn't expecting anyone. In fact, Kara was out with Lena at some hot new club Lena had invested in as a favor to a friend. Alex was immediately suspicious. She approached the door warily and looked out of the peephole. It was Maggie. Alex sighed and opened the door. Pretending that she wasn't there would just be petty. Maggie looked surprised when the door actually opened.

"Alex," she said as she deflated just a bit. Her eyes immediately found the collar around Alex's neck and it gave her a tiny bit of hope. "Can we talk?" 

Alex stepped back and let Maggie into the apartment. "Kara's out," was the only thing Alex said as she crossed her arms. 

"That's… probably good," Maggie said. Now that she was in the apartment she didn't know what to do with herself. She put her hands in her pockets and just looked around.

Alex stood her ground. "You wanted to talk," she prodded Maggie. 

"You're right. Can we sit down?" she motioned toward the couch, but with Alex's nod, sat in one of the chairs. Once Alex was settled, Maggie started talking, "I just… I want to say I'm sorry." 

Alex looked unimpressed. Maggie continued. "I knew I needed to talk to you and I didn't. I wish… I wish I could go back and do it over. I would have gone to you first, I should have gone to you first, and not made any assumptions." Maggie scrubbed at her face. 

"I just… I can't sleep without you. I don't know how to exist without you, and I'll do anything to get you to forgive me," Maggie said, the sincerity evident in her voice. "I know I messed up, that I didn't listen to you, that I didn't _hear_ you. I know how much you hate it when other people make decisions for you and I tried to do that and I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry." Maggie scratched at her scalp before Alex reached over and took one of her hands and held onto it. She squeezed it tightly.

"I'm not ready to forgive you yet," Alex rasped and Maggie slumped in on herself. "I'm not… I'm not going anywhere and I can accept your apology," she said. "And I'm ready to come home, but…" Alex sighed. "I have to learn how to trust you again." 

Maggie nodded. "I understand. I would never… I just… I'm sorry." 

"You already said that." Alex squeezed Maggie's hand again before pulling Maggie over to her on the couch. She tucked herself into Maggie's side. "I owe you an apology too. I shouldn't have ambushed you and Lucy like that."

"It's… It's okay, though maybe you should tell Lucy that too. She was the one you…" Maggie made a vague motion with one of her hands. 

"I will. Eventually. I'm not ready to talk to her yet," Alex murmured. Lucy was just too complicated right now. 

"That's okay," Maggie said. "You should know that Lucy and I talked again that night." Alex tensed in Maggie's arms and Maggie instinctively held on tighter. "Not about… We talked about not keeping secrets and why you did what you did and why I didn't talk to you earlier." 

Alex relaxed. "Okay," she said. "Thank you for telling me." Alex pulled Maggie's arms around her even tighter. "I want…," Alex took a deep breath. "I need you to punish me for what I did that night." Now Alex was tense.

"No, Alex–" Maggie was cut off by Alex's finger on her lips. 

"I was right to be angry, I'm still angry, but I didn't handle it well. I practically assaulted Lucy," Alex said. "I deserve _something_ for that. Do you understand?" she asked Maggie.

"Not really," Maggie said, "but if it's something you need, you know I'll do it." Alex nodded. 

"Not tonight," Alex said. "Tonight let's just go home."

"Okay," Maggie said as she extracted herself from Alex's grip and stood. She held a hand out for Alex. Alex took it and held on even after she was standing. She led Maggie to the door where she grabbed her keys. She could get her things later.

***

The lights in the DEO were dimmed for the night, but the light from Alex's lab still glowed brightly. It called to Lucy like a beacon, and she couldn't ignore it. She climbed the stairs and opened the door. Alex looked up immediately, eyes narrowing when she saw who the intruder was.

Lucy stopped in her tracks. 

"Is there something I can do for you, Director?" Alex asked. She crossed her arms and leaned away from Lucy. "Did you want an update on the biomorphic armor I'm trying to develop? Because I can have a report for you tomorrow."

Lucy sighed. "Alex, can we please talk?" she asked. She needed to clear the air. Even if they never got back to where they were, she needed Alex to stop avoiding her. She didn't want to lose her friend over something that wasn't meant to be anyway. 

Alex pursed her lips. "No. Not now. Not… I can't deal with you right now, Lucy," Alex said. She didn't know how she felt about Lucy anymore, and she couldn't talk to her until she figured that out. 

"When will you be able to deal with me?" Lucy pressed. She wasn't going to just let Alex off the hook. 

"I don't know, but it isn't today." Alex had just started to patch things up with Maggie. She didn't need another impossible task on top of that. But she softened a little. "Look, I'm not saying never, okay? I'm just saying not right now." She was serious. She'd think about the problem that was Lucy eventually. She wouldn't be able to stop herself. She broke eye contact with Lucy and looked down. "I'm meeting Maggie in a few minutes. You should go home, Director Lane."

"Okay." Lucy took some heart in Alex's words. If Alex said she was going to do something, she would do it. She turned to go, stopping at the door today, "have a nice night," before she left Alex alone.

***

Alex was nervous as she opened the door to the apartment and stepped inside. She wasn't sure what Maggie had planned for her punishment, but she knew that it was going to hurt. She had been thinking about it all day. Her only instruction had been to be home by eight, to strip, and to wait on her knees in the living room. It was seven thirty, but she wanted to have a chance to shower first and she didn't want to be late.

Twenty minutes later and she was exactly where Maggie wanted her. It was good because Maggie walked in five minutes early. She ignored Alex as she slowly took off her jacket and shoes. She put the jacket and shoes away. She walked over to the cabinet where they kept everything, pulled out a cane, a paddle, and a length of rope, and placed them on the coffee table where Alex could see them before she disappeared into the bedroom. Alex heard the shower turn on and knew that the waiting, the anticipation, was part of the punishment. 

She stared at the implements in front of her. Neither were things they used often. When Maggie hit Alex, it was normally about building up another kind of sensation rather than purely about the pain. Alex wasn't even sure when Maggie had gotten the cane at all. The last time they had used one was at Roulette's and they never revisited those memories. Alex was already getting antsy. She knew that she was still going to be feeling this the next day, probably the next several days. Maggie had taken her request seriously. 

She jumped when she felt Maggie's hand on her shoulder. She had been so absorbed in her thoughts that she hadn't heard the shower turn off or Maggie enter the room. 

"Are you sure about this?" Maggie asked one last time. 

"Yes," Alex said as she looked up at her. 

Maggie nodded. "Pick one and then bend over the back of the couch," she said as she picked up the rope. 

Alex took a long moment to look at her choices. She knew exactly what Maggie could do with the cane. She knew she could withstand it. The paddle was more of a mystery. Which was worse? 

"The cane, ma'am," Alex said as she stood and walked around the couch draping herself over the back. "Mmm," was Maggie response as she tied a loop in the rope. She motioned for Alex's hands and when they were given, she placed the rope around them effectively tying Alex's hands together. Then she wrapped it around a hook on the coffee table. Alex would be able to move but not get away. And she wouldn't have to think about holding still. Alex relished the slight stretch in her shoulders and hamstrings the position created. 

Maggie picked up the cane and took up her position next to Alex. Before she started, she placed a hand on Alex's back. "Are you ready?" she asked.

"Yes ma'am," Alex responded. She was already quivering. With that, Maggie started. She took her time, twisting her wrist enough that the downswings hit exactly where she wanted them to, right across Alex's ass and the tops of her thighs. Just because she never caned Alex didn't mean she didn't know how.

Alex immediately sank into the pain. Each hit left a white-hot line pressed against her flesh. She yelped and squirmed, tugged at her restraints, and thanked God Maggie hadn't required her to count each stroke. She wasn't enjoying it the way she normally did when Maggie hit her and it felt like subspace was a long way away. Maggie was probably doing that on purpose. It wasn't much of a punishment if she started to take pleasure from it. 

Then Maggie started going back over the welts she had left the first time. Alex instinctively pressed her hips forward to get away from the pain. There was no longer a pause between each sensation. Everything just hurt. It hurt so much. She pulled at her restraints but the coffee table didn't move. Somewhere in her mind, she knew she was crying but it almost didn't feel real. She couldn't feel anything other than the overwhelming heat in her ass.

Then Maggie stopped. She ran a hand over Alex's ass and gave it a sharp slap. It was that which caused Alex to scream out. Her skin was cold. She was covered in sweat.

"Why are we doing this, Alex?" Maggie asked her. Alex could barely find her voice and it sounded far away when she spoke, "Because I need to be punished, ma'am. Because I ambushed you and Lucy. Because I didn't handle my anger well." Alex kept listing everything she could think of in every combination possible until her words no longer made sense. Maggie started hitting her again and it was too much. It was just too much. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't… "Red," she gasped out. "Red, red, red," she repeated it over and over again.

As soon as she said it the first time, everything stopped. Maggie tossed the cane to the side and wrapped Alex up in her arms. She used one hand to untie Alex's hands and caught her as she slumped down. It wasn't the first time Alex had used her safe word, but it was the first where everything felt truly urgent. Maggie half carried Alex around to the front of the couch and laid her on her stomach. She kept a hand on her back as she pulled a blanket down to cover Alex. Alex was still breathing hard, still crying, but her breaths were evening out. She moved just enough to grab the edge of the blanket and wrap it more tightly around herself. Once that was done, she snaked one hand out and grabbed at Maggie's. 

Maggie was happy to hold Alex's hand. She was happy to do whatever Alex needed. She kneeled next to the couch and just waited. She knew Alex would come out of it eventually. It was several long minutes later before Alex started to move, shifting around and trying to get more comfortable. She squeezed Maggie's hand. "Water?" she asked. Maggie nodded and slowly got up. She was back before Alex even realized she was gone. A few sips later, Alex looked like she was calm again. She wiped her face with the blanket and Maggie reminded herself to toss it in with the next load of laundry. 

"Hurts," Alex grumbled as she found Maggie's hand again. 

"I know, baby," Maggie said as she smiled at Alex. She kissed Alex hand. "But you did so well. You were so good for me." She brushed some hair back from Alex's face and kissed Alex's forehead. Alex took a deep, shuddering breath. "I'm… I'm okay now, I think." She winced as she rolled onto her side. She cupped Maggie's face. "Thank you," she said. Now that she was no longer freaking out, she found that she did feel better. There was still something unsettled that bothered her, but it was no longer overwhelming. 

"Of course," Maggie responded. "You know I'll do anything you want." 

Alex nodded, "I know." She squeezed Maggie's hand again. "Can we go to bed now?" she asked. 

"Of course," Maggie moved back from the couch where Alex would have the space to stand. "We need to get you cleaned up, but there's no reason we can't do that in bed." 

"Good," Alex said as she carefully maneuvered herself upright. Right then, getting in bed with Maggie sounded like heaven.

***

Alex paced from one end of the command center to the other. Lucy, Winn, and Kara were all with there. J'onn was supposed to be getting back any time now, but so far there hadn't been any sign of him. Alex was starting to worry. Hell, they were all starting to worry.

Lucy watched Alex pace and more than anything she wanted to drag Alex from the room and tell her to calm the fuck down. Had it been a few months earlier, she would have done just that. Now, she watched Alex pace. And pace. And pace. 

Finally, there was a beep from Winn's terminal. He spun around and double checked his readings. "That should have been J'onn's ship," he said. "Now we just–" Winn was interrupted by J'onn teleporting into the middle of the room. There was a noticeable sigh of relief from everyone present. 

Kara let out a little squeak and threw herself into J'onn's arms. He smiled as he caught her. "I missed you too," he said. He put her down and turned to Alex. "Everything is still standing I see."

"Yes, sir," she responded, only blushing a little. She was proud of herself for keeping everything running smoothly, but she was so ready to get back out into the field. 

"Excellent," he said as he acknowledged everyone else in the room. Then he draped an arm over her shoulders. "You can fill me in on everything that's happened while I've been gone." 

Alex smiled tightly and really hoped that he wasn't reading her mind.

***

When Alex opened the door, she almost wasn't surprised to see Lucy standing there. She sighed and stepped aside. "You're not very good at being patient, are you?" she asked.

"Not when I care about something," Lucy said. Now that she was in Alex's apartment, she wasn't sure what to do with herself. "And I have a feeling if I wait for you to be ready, it'll be next century before we talk." 

"If that's how long it takes, then that's when we'll talk," Alex said as she walked further into the apartment.

Lucy trailed after her. "That's not good enough for me," she said with conviction. 

"I don't care," Alex shook her head. She should have known that eventually Lucy would press the issue. 

“Look, Alex, I’m sorry I kissed Maggie. I shouldn’t have done it and I apologize,” Lucy needed to make that clear to Alex. She hadn't been thinking and if she had been, she wouldn't have done it. 

"How many times do I have to tell the two of you, I don't care that you kissed. We all want to kiss each other, that's not the point," Alex said. She ran her fingers through her hair in frustration. 

"Then what's your problem, Alex?" If that wasn’t the problem, Lucy didn’t understand why Alex was still avoiding her. 

"It's that you kept me out of the conversation. That wasn't just Maggie. Both of you did that." Alex was ready to pull her hair out. Why did her doms think they knew her mind better than she did? 

"Are you sure that's it? Because _I_ never kept you out of those conversations. I didn't even want to have them. If you want to be pissed at someone about that, it should be Maggie, not me.” Lucy was practically yelling now.

“Do you honestly think I haven’t been mad at Maggie?” Alex yelled back. 

“Of course not,” Lucy sighed and deflated. “Look, I just want to know what you’re thinking. We were friends. I just want us to be friends again.”

"I’m not sure that’s the best idea,” Alex said. “Every time you come into my life, everything goes to shit. You took my job, you nearly cost me my girlfriend, and you fucking _arrested_ me for _treason_."

Lucy rolled her eyes, "You don't actually want the job and you and Maggie… It would take a nuclear bomb to break you two up,” Lucy said. “So what? This is about me having you arrested? I apologized for that. You said it was fine."

Alex stepped closer to Lucy invading her personal space. "Well, it isn’t. You sent me to fucking _Cadmus_."

"I didn't know," Lucy pleaded.

"You knew enough."

"So what is it you want from me? I've already apologized. What else do you need? Do you need to punish me too?" Lucy started unfastening her own belt. "Because we can do that. I'll let you do that." She slid the belt from its loops and threw it to Alex.

Alex was taken aback. She looked at the belt that was now in her hands. Was that what she wanted? She looked back up, and Lucy was already stripping off her clothes. Maybe it was. Maybe this was something they both needed. 

Alex looked at the belt again. If they were going to do this, this belt wasn’t going to work. It was much too thin. She didn’t want to flail Lucy open. 

“What are you waiting for?” Lucy goaded her on. 

Alex went over to the cabinet and opened it. She didn't know what she was doing. This was a terrible idea. She didn't know what she was looking for. She rummaged around but nothing was appealing. She didn't even know how to use most of it. She just… She wanted Lucy to feel as vulnerable as she had felt. 

Restraints. That seemed like a good place to start. Tie Lucy up the way she had been tied up. After that… maybe she would just use her hands. It would be easier not to hurt Lucy that way. Lucy probably wasn't used to the pain anyway. 

While she was getting the restraints out, Lucy had finished stripping. "Where do you want me?" she asked. 

"Give me your wrists," was her response. Lucy did as she was told and Alex buckled the cuffs, her favorite cuffs, around Lucy's wrists then chained them together. She knelt and did the same thing to Lucy's ankles. She was on one knee when she looked up. "Is this okay?" she asked. "Tell me to stop and I will."

"No. This is fine." She was sure Alex did more than this on a regular basis. She could handle it. She pulled her hands apart just to know what it felt like. 

Alex stood. She grabbed Lucy by the upper arm and forced her to walk around to the other side of the couch, the chain between her ankles bring her up short with each step. Once she was exactly where Alex wanted her, Alex swallowed hard and said, "bend over." 

Lucy immediately obeyed and Alex helped her brace herself on the arm of the couch. Alex steeled her nerves and inexpertly slapped Lucy on the ass. It made her hand sting. That wasn't something Alex had ever thought about before. She absorbed the new information even as she pulled her arm back to repeat the movement. After a few more jerky movements, Alex got into the right rhythm.

Lucy swayed with each slap on her ass. They all hurt. There was nothing pleasurable about them at all. The pain just built and built and built. She was already whimpering. It wouldn't be long before she started crying outright. Was this what it felt like when she had Alex arrested? Had it been this painful? This humiliating? Lucy didn't know. She just wanted it to end. But she wouldn't tell Alex to stop. If this was what Alex needed to do to forgive her, then she would find a way to stand it. She tried to move her arms only to be stopped by the chain. That single frustration was enough to open the floodgates and she actually started crying. She didn't realize Alex was doing the same thing above her. 

Neither of them heard the key turning in the lock.

***

Maggie stopped short when she stepped into the apartment and took in the scene in front of her. It wasn't something she ever thought that she would see. Alex's face was covered in tears and judging by the sounds, Lucy was crying too.

"Alex," Maggie said softly. It was enough to break Alex out of her trance. She looked up and panicked when she saw Maggie. 

"Maggie, this isn't…" Maggie waved Alex off. She didn't need an explanation. Clearly, this was something between Alex and Lucy that they needed to work out. She didn’t think for a second that Alex might be touching Lucy in a sexual way. 

"Did you two get everything settled?" Maggie asked Alex. Alex wiped her cheeks and nodded, still standing there like a child caught doing something she shouldn't have. "Yes," she said, her voice rough with unshed tears. Lucy had stood up and was now was standing next to Alex, arms wrapped protectively around her waist. In that moment, she had forgotten her nudity and was just watching Alex and Maggie. Forgotten it until Maggie turned to her, then Lucy blushed. 

"Are you good?" Maggie asked her. 

Lucy nodded. "I'm going to be sore… I am sore, but I'll be fine," Lucy answered. "Alex was… very careful."

Maggie nodded and swallowed around the lump in her throat. "You should stay for dinner." There was no way she was going to let Lucy go anywhere after that. Not when it looked like she was about to fall over. 

"I shouldn't," Lucy tried to demur but a soft, "please," from Alex was all it took for her to nod and say, "okay."

"Find Lucy a robe," Maggie commanded Alex as she took control of the room. She walked over to Lucy and unfastened the restraints around her wrists and ankles. After she stood back up, she put a hand on Lucy’s arm to steady her. She looked over Lucy’s ass checking for any problems. Alex had done a very good, very controlled job turning Lucy’s ass bright red. Like Lucy had said, she would be sore the next day, but she probably wouldn’t bruise. Meanwhile, Alex did as she was told, and when she came back, she helped Lucy into one of Maggie’s robes. 

“I’m going to start cooking. Lucy, you should lie down on the couch or wherever you're comfortable. I’m sure Alex can find something to make things hurt less.” She gave Alex a pointed look. 

“Yes ma’am,” Alex said as she disappeared back into the bedroom. Lucy shuddered, finally really coming back to herself. Maggie steadied her again and helped her lie face down on the couch. 

“We have something that will, well, not fix it, but make it more tolerable, okay?” Lucy nodded at Maggie’s words. “You can do it yourself or you can tell Alex to do it. I’m here, we’re here if you need anything. Alex is a really good cuddler.” Maggie rubbed Lucy’s shoulder through the robe. 

Just then Alex came back into the room with the salve. Maggie stood up and went to the kitchen to leave them alone. Alex slid into Maggie’s place kneeling beside Lucy. “Do you want…” Alex awkwardly held the salve out, “or should…”

“You do it,” there was just a bit of force behind Lucy’s words, but it was enough that Alex automatically obeyed. “Yes, ma’am,” she murmured as she lifted the bottom of the robe and started rubbing the cream into Lucy’s skin. Once she was finished, she stayed kneeling at Lucy’s side. She might not have known what she was doing when she spanked Lucy, but this part she understood. Aftercare made sense to her. She just needed to know what Lucy wanted.

“Come’re,” Lucy said as she tugged in Alex’s sleeve. She moved over just enough to give Alex space on the couch. Alex reacted immediately, climbing up and wrapping Lucy in her arms. Lucy snuggled closer. In seconds she had fallen asleep.

***

Alex was gently shaking Lucy’s shoulder, and something smelled amazing, as Lucy came back to herself. She pressed her face into Alex’s shoulder. “How long was I asleep? And what smells so good?” she asked.

“Maybe half an hour and Maggie is a great cook.” She looked toward Maggie in the kitchen and the love radiating off of her was obvious. “I think she might be showing off for you,” Alex said. 

“Mmm,” Lucy said as she nudged Alex. “You can get up now if you want.” 

“Are you asking me or telling me?” Alex asked with a wicked grin. 

“Am I allowed to tell you what to do?” Lucy was genuinely curious. This was turning into a weird night and she was still trying to find her equilibrium. 

Alex shrugged, “Maggie seems to be in a sharing mood and I don’t mind. We talked a little while you were asleep. No pressure though.” She leaned in slowly, giving Lucy plenty of time to pull away before she brushed their lips together. Lucy tightened her arms around Alex and kissed her back. Lucy got so lost in the kisses that it took Maggie’s hand on her arm to get her attention. When she finally focused, she saw Maggie running her fingers through Alex’s hair and a slight smile on her lips. 

“Dinner’s ready,” Maggie said softly. Alex untangled herself from Lucy and stood. She held a hand out for Lucy, which Lucy took, and helped her up.

***

The three of them ate almost in silence before, through some sort of unspoken communication, they all relocated to the couch. Maggie found something entertaining enough, but none of them were really paying attention to it. Instead, Alex and Lucy were once again exchanging lazy kisses while Maggie watched them and occasionally reached out to touch Alex.

It was an hour, maybe two, when Maggie finally turned off the tv and lightly pulled at Alex’s shoulder. She said, “it’s bedtime,” as softly as she could, not wanting to disrupt the mood. Alex leaned back into Maggie’s arms and snuggled into her. Her quiet, “Yes, ma’am,” was punctuated with a yawn. Maggie held her close for a minute before letting her go. 

Maggie turned to Lucy then. She looked thoroughly well kissed but also a little lost. Maggie took pity on her and held out a hand, “come on,” she said. “You should spend the night.” 

“No, I can–,” Maggie shut her up with a kiss of her own. Lucy couldn’t stop herself from moaning. 

“We’re just going to sleep,” Maggie said. “Stay?” 

Lucy found herself nodding. 

“Good,” Maggie kissed Lucy again before standing up. “Let me find something for you to sleep in,” she said. Lucy followed Maggie into the bedroom and stopped short. She wasn’t prepared to see Alex naked or to see the bruises that vividly striped her ass.

Alex looked over at the noise and blushed when she caught Maggie’s eye. “I normally…,” she shrugged, “but I can find something to sleep in if you want.”

“Uh, no, you should do…” Lucy sputtered. 

Maggie pursed her lips. “Find something for Lucy to sleep in and then get dressed.” 

It earned Maggie another, “yes, ma’am,” as Alex did as she was told. It was the work of moments, and soon Lucy was wedged between Alex and Maggie in the center of the bed. She ended up with two sets of arms wrapped around her and a set of lips pressing into the back of her neck. 

Sleep was easy to find.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got so many amazing comments on the last chapter and every single one of them made my day. Seriously, I had a rough weekend and they made it better. 
> 
> Come flail at me on tumblr @twtd11


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucy put a hand on Alex's neck, whispered a, "c’mere," and pulled Alex down into a kiss. That seemed to be a thing they were allowed to do now and Lucy was going to take advantage of it. She pushed her tongue into Alex's mouth and felt Alex melt into her. She rubbed her thumb along Alex's jaw but then pushed her away. "Something for you to think about until tomorrow night," she said as Alex tried to recover from the kiss.
> 
> Alex, Maggie, and Lucy finally talk. And they finally stop talking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I still have amazing betas and this fic is better because of them!
> 
> This chapter was impossible to write and includes the longest, most intense sex scene I’ve ever written. But, it’s finally finished! If you want to skip it, stop when Alex says goodbye to Kara and then start again after the second to last scene break. The last two scenes are fairly short. 
> 
> I hope everyone enjoys!

Lucy slowly drifted awake. Everything was pleasantly warm and she snuggled back into the body wrapped around her. Her ass protested the touch and it forced her eyes open. "Mmm, time is it?" she asked. The answer from behind her was just a mumble, but from the look of the light pouring in through the windows, it was probably still early. Alex and Maggie would have some sort of alarm set, wouldn't they? Then she remembered the night before. Alex and Maggie. She was in their bed. If she wasn't mistaken, Alex was the one pressed into her back with an arm around her waist. 

She tried to roll over to make sure without disturbing the woman behind her. She met Alex's half lidded eyes and sucked in a breath. Alex's hair was tousled and everything about her just looked soft. Lucy was amazed. Alex tangled their legs together and Lucy shivered. 

"Maggie's making breakfast," Alex said quietly then suppressed a yawn. "It's just after 6," Alex finally answered her question. "We go running, but we thought we'd skip it today."

Lucy looked down. "I don't want to disrupt your routine," she said. 

Alex lifted Lucy’s chin. "You're worth it."

Lucy didn't know what to say to that, but it didn't matter. Alex lips were on hers again. There was more force behind them than there was the night before, and Lucy let herself get swept up for several minutes. Eventually, she had to pull away. "Should we talk about this?" The night before had seemed so easy. This morning, things were far more complicated. 

"We can talk later. Right now I want you to kiss me," Alex said.

Lucy knew she shouldn't, but she gave into Alex anyway. Before, everything had felt contained, like she could go on kissing Alex forever. Now, everything was hard and hot and Alex pushed her thigh between Lucy's. Lucy couldn't stop herself from pressing forward against it. She whimpered and knew she could get off just like that, humping against Alex's leg. Alex's hands wandered down her sides and were just starting to push her shirt up before she heard a polite cough. 

It was enough to get Lucy to pull away from Alex as a blush covered her cheeks. Alex just rolled over and looked up at Maggie. 

"It isn't that I don't appreciate the sentiment, but we don't have time for that this morning," Maggie said. "Besides, breakfast is ready." She leaned down and pulled Alex into a deep kiss that did nothing for Lucy's arousal levels, which spiked again when she saw Maggie tweak one of Alex's nipples. Alex was still whimpering when Maggie's lips pressed against Lucy's and drew her into another kiss that she never wanted to end. "And we need to talk." Maggie gave them both a stern look. 

Lucy scrubbed her hands over her face and tried to calm herself down. "Right," she said. "Of course." She sat up and pulled her borrowed shirt down. "You mentioned breakfast," she said as she rolled out of bed.

***

Alex sauntered into the command center at the desert base and came to stand directly behind the chair were Lucy was seated. She put her hands on the back of it. Lucy twisted around to look up at Alex. "Something I can do for you, Agent Danvers?" she asked.

Alex leaned down. "I was hoping we could continue our talk from last night," she said. There were so many levels on which she wanted to continue that talk, but she wasn't there to jump Lucy in her office, no matter how much she might want to. 

That didn't stop Lucy from shuddering at the way Alex's breath passed over her skin. She swallowed hard before she said, "my office?"

Alex nodded and stood back up. She followed Lucy back to her office. As soon as the door was closed, she said, "this isn't why I came, but…" then she pulled Lucy into a kiss. Lucy kissed her back until she ran out of air, then she stepped back. She wiped her lips as she tried to control her breathing. 

"So, uh, if that wasn't…" Lucy ran a hand through her hair and shook her head to try to clear it. 

Alex rubbed her forehead. "I actually did come here to finish our talk from last night," she said. She took a seat on Lucy's couch. 

"I didn't realize there was more to talk about," Lucy replied. She sat on the couch next to Alex and let their knees brush together. 

Alex shrugged. "I just… I want you to know that I do forgive you. For the Cadmus thing. I didn't realize it was still bothering me."

"I don't blame you, Alex. It was a shitty thing to do, and I don't know if I could be friends with someone who did that to me, let alone whatever we are now," Lucy said. She hadn't really thought about it from Alex's perspective before, but last night had changed that. Maybe it had changed something for both of them.

"About that, 'whatever we are now,'" Alex said. "Maggie and I wanted to invite you over to dinner where we could talk about that." They really did need to talk before they went any further. They all knew that. 

"Yeah, I can come to dinner," Lucy replied. "Tonight? Or…?" 

"We were thinking tomorrow night, just to give everything a day to settle."

Lucy nodded. "That's fine." Letting everything settle was probably a good idea, and Maggie and Alex probably needed some time to talk. There was something she was curious about though. "Can I…? Can I ask about the bruises?" She's never left marks quite that bad on James' skin.

Alex shrugged. "Maggie caned me a few days ago. I can still feel them, but they don't exactly hurt. They just… they remind me that I belong to her." 

"Is that why she did it? Was it because you left?"

"No. That wasn't… She wouldn't punish me for that. But after that scene I put on that night, I needed something," Now Alex was blushing. "I should apologize to you too for that. I'm sorry I jumped you. If you want, you can…," Alex shrugged. "Maybe not with a cane though."

"No, that's okay," Lucy thought they had hurt each other enough for now. It would probably be a long time before she could seriously punish Alex for anything and there was no guarantee that whatever was happening between them was going to be a long term thing. "Thank you for telling me."

"Of course. You can look at them if you need to. Not here. But later," Alex said. She didn't know if that was something Lucy was interested in, but she offered anyway.

"No," Lucy said. "I think I'm fine."

"Okay. Well, you have work and I should let you do it," Alex stood up. Lucy did the same and walked Alex to the door. Once they were there, Lucy put a hand on Alex's neck, whispered a, "c’mere," and pulled Alex down into a kiss. That seemed to be a thing they were allowed to do now and Lucy was going to take advantage of it. She pushed her tongue into Alex's mouth and felt Alex melt into her. She rubbed her thumb along Alex's jaw but then pushed her away. "Something for you to think about until tomorrow night," she said as Alex tried to recover from the kiss.

"Yeah," Alex said as she stumbled out of the door.

***

Maggie pushed open the door to the apartment, grocery bags in hand, and wasn't surprised when she found Alex and Lucy making out on the couch like a couple of teenagers. Lucy was straddling Alex's lap, but it looked like all of their clothing was still on and their hands were above the belt. She chuckled good naturedly, but sat the grocery bags down a little harder than necessary to get their attention. They startled apart and it was only Alex's quick reflexes that stopped Lucy from tumbling to the floor. Lucy turned bright red as she got off of Alex's lap and straightened her skirt. Alex kept lounging on the couch.

Maggie shook her head and smiled, dimples on full display, as Lucy walked over to join her in the kitchen. "Do you need help with anything?" she asked. 

"I think I've got it. Thank you though," Maggie said as she started unloading the grocery bags.

Alex leavered herself up from the couch and joined them in the kitchen where she pulled Maggie away from the bags and into a kiss of her own. She maneuvered them where Maggie was pressed against the counter and deepened the kiss. Maggie let her as she wrapped her arms around Alex's neck. Lucy openly watched them and wondered if Maggie felt just as aroused watching her and Alex kiss as Lucy did watching them. 

Eventually, Alex and Maggie's kiss wound down and Alex stepped away. "Hi," she said impishly. Maggie chuckled and said, "Hi to you too." She gave Alex a little peck on the lips before she continued, "now get out of my kitchen before your aura burns something." She shooed Alex away. "You," she said to Lucy, "can open this bottle of wine." She pulled the bottle out of one of the bags and handed it to Lucy before she dug a corkscrew out of a drawer and passed it over before she started prepping everything for dinner. 

Lucy opened the bottle and as she circled the island to get to the glasses, Maggie snagged her around the waist and pulled her close. "Hey," She said, her voice low, before she moved in for a kiss from Lucy. Lucy wrapped her wine bottle free arm around Maggie and pulled her in closer. In the background, Alex stumbled over her own feet just as she reached for one of the bar stools. Now Maggie was pressing Lucy up against the counter. Alex reached out and snagged the wine bottle, and as soon as it was out of Lucy's hand, Lucy threaded her fingers into Maggie's hair. 

The kiss lasted longer than Maggie intended, but she wasn't going to complain.They did, eventually, break apart. Maggie stayed where she was though, Lucy still trapped between her body and the counter. "I'm glad you decided to come over," she said as she pressed kisses to the side of Lucy's neck. "But I'm getting a little jealous of Alex getting to spend so much time kissing you," Maggie nipped at Lucy's skin and Lucy shuddered. Maggie pressed a leg between Lucy's thighs and pushed up into Lucy's rocking movement. "I know we need to talk," Maggie said, "but I really want to make you come right now. Will you let me?" 

Alex whimpered from the other side of the island. 

"Yes," Lucy said as she buried her head against Maggie's shoulder, "God, yes." She bucked forward against Maggie's thigh.

"Alex, come over here and make sure Lucy doesn't fall over," Maggie told Alex. Alex immediately rounded the island, pushed between Lucy and the counter, and took Lucy in her arms from behind using her body to keep Lucy steady. Meanwhile, Maggie had pushed Lucy's skirt up and pulled her panties down as she knelt before her. She leaned in and pressed her face against Lucy's cunt inhaling deeply before tilting her chin forward and finding Lucy's clit with her tongue. 

She held onto Lucy's thighs as they quivered. Maggie didn't try anything fancy, and judging by how wet Lucy was, she wouldn't need to. She just circled Lucy's clit until she found a spot Lucy liked and stayed here.

Lucy moaned as she leaned back against Alex. She briefly wondered how Alex was feeling, but then she was overcome with the pleasure of it all. She couldn't believe she was there with Maggie at her feet and Alex at her back. Alex made her feel so safe and Maggie… Maggie made her feel everything. Her hips bucked forward of their own volition, which just led to Maggie holding them down. She moaned again as Maggie focused on the spot just to the right of her clit that drove her crazy. She gave up then, gave up on everything and just let Maggie take her wherever she was going to go. She clutched at Alex's arms as she came, her knees giving out; but between Alex and Maggie, she stayed upright as she caught her breath. 

Maggie helped her step out of her panties and pulled her skirt back down. Alex kissed the curve of her neck and Lucy thought she could stay there indefinitely. Eventually she had to move, though, or they were never going to eat. Groaning, she collected herself and pulled Maggie up into a kiss. She could taste herself on Maggie's lips as she wrapped Maggie in her arms. 

Maggie stepped away. "I need to actually start on dinner, and you probably want to get cleaned up. Then, if you don't mind distracting Alex while I cook…," Maggie trailed off, letting Lucy's imagination fill any blanks about just what she might to do to Alex. "She isn't allowed to come tonight, but anything else is fair game." Behind her, Lucy felt Alex take in a sharp breath at the words and she wondered if _this_ was something Maggie and Alex had talked about before tonight. She suspected it wasn't.

***

Alex was down to her boy shorts by the time Maggie was finished making dinner and Lucy was sure that it had taken her longer than usual to make what was a fairly simple meal. Alex was a writhing mess underneath her, though, so it was worth the wait. Lucy finally let her up when Maggie started setting the table and pouring them drinks from the forgotten bottle of wine. Alex tried to clear her head enough to help, but Maggie pushed her away and told her to go get dressed. If they were going to have a serious conversation, everyone was going to have their clothing on.

Lucy straightened her own clothing and sat in one of the chairs at the table. She rubbed a hand over her face and then exhaled. "She is…," Lucy started but she didn't have a way to finish her thought. 

"I know," Maggie brought the food over to the table and placed a kiss on top of Lucy's head. Maggie dropped into one of the other seats and said, "I thought we could talk after we ate, if that's okay with you." 

"Sure," Lucy said as Alex came back into the room.

***

Alex settled onto the couch, glass of wine still in hand. Maggie had done an excellent job with dinner, but now it was time for them to move on to the real purpose of the night. Sure, she and Maggie had talked about what they wanted, what they were willing to accept, what their boundaries were, but there was no reason to think Lucy would agree. So, she was nervous. She could tell that Maggie was nervous, too. As soon as Maggie sat down, Alex snuggled back into her arms.

Lucy perched carefully on the other end of the couch. The three of them looked at each other for a long moment, no one willing to start the conversation. It was so much easier when they were just having sex. Eventually, Alex huffed. This was getting to be ridiculous. 

"I've said this before, but I guess it needs repeating. Everyone in this room wants to fuck everyone else, probably while tying me up," she said as Maggie chuckled. "We are smart women. We can figure out how to make that happen."

Lucy smiled but it was tinged with sadness, "I don't … I don't just want to fuck you guys," Lucy swallowed nervously, "I want more than that." Was she asking for too much? It hadn't come up in any of her conversations with Maggie. Just sex would have been easier, but it wouldn't be satisfying. 

Maggie smiled gently at Lucy. "We were thinking maybe the three of us could go on some dates, if you're okay with that," Maggie said. "The two of us, we don't actually know each other that well, so it seemed like a good place to start." 

"Yeah, yeah. That sounds like a… I could do that," Lucy nodded almost mechanically, like she only half believed what was happening. 

Alex snuggled her feet under Lucy's thigh. Lucy focused on Alex. "Whether we've gone on one of these dates by then or not, we want you to do a scene with us this Friday night." It was unlikely that they'd be able to find a time to go on a date by then. Their schedules would never line up that easily outside of a weekend. As it was, Friday night was the only time one of them _wasn't_ either working or on call. Alex had looked. 

Lucy's mouth went dry. "I… that would be…," Lucy took a sip of her wine. "Yes. Okay," she said once she could talk again. 

Alex and Maggie both smiled and Alex leaned forward to place a kiss on Lucy's lips. As soon as she tried to deepen the kiss, Maggie grabbed a fistfull of her shirt and pulled her back. Alex whined and got a sharp slap on her hip in return. 

Lucy sighed at the loss but opened her briefly closed eyes. "I guess we need to talk about that too?" Lucy asked.

"Yeah," Alex answered and Maggie started blushing, "Maggie and I normally do that over text message because otherwise she gets impatient." Maggie and Alex generally only discussed their scenes when Maggie wanted to really push one of Alex's boundaries, but getting everything out in the open first would be good for them. Maggie wasn't prepared to let Alex or Lucy go into this completely blind, even if Alex would probably want to be kept out of the details. 

"I can work with that," Lucy said. She had a feeling she was going to end up blushing every time she looked at her phone for the rest of the week. 

"Thank you," Maggie nearly mumbled as she hid her face in Alex's shoulder. Alex chuckled indulgently and squeezed one of Maggie's hands. She brought that hand up to her lips and kissed it. "I think we're done talking for the night," Maggie said. 

Lucy let out a breath and deflated, "Oh, thank God." She scrubbed at her face with her hands before she looked up again to find that Alex was now chuckling at her. Lucy grabbed the pillow she had been lounging against and threw it at Alex’s head. Alex batted it away and launched herself at Lucy. Her original plan involved tickling her, but instead, somehow they ended up kissing, tongues and legs tangled together. It wasn’t Alex’s fault that Lucy was so irresistible.   
The sharp swat on her ass surprised her, and she moaned into Lucy’s mouth as she rocked forward. Lucy’s arms came around her even as Maggie pulled back on her collar. Alex whined but had no choice but to sit up. Maggie was standing over her as she forced Alex all the way to the other end of the couch. Her "Be good," was the most commanding thing Lucy had ever heard her say; it made her want to hear Maggie talking in that tone again. Alex whined once more and got a sharp look in return. Lucy had a feeling the rest of the night was going to be trouble for Alex. 

Maggie sat in what was Alex's seat and focused on Lucy like Alex wasn't even there. Maggie ran a finger over the back of Lucy's hand and over her knuckles. "You can stay if you want," Maggie said. 

Lucy pulled Maggie into a kiss but slowly drew away. "I think we all know what would happen if I stayed, and I would rather wait until Friday night." She kissed Maggie gently once again before she forced herself to stand up. Dropping a kiss on Alex’s head, she intertwined her fingers with Maggie's and drew her to the door. Once they were there, Lucy pushed Maggie up against the wall and kissed her hard. Maggie wrapped her arms around Lucy's neck as Lucy's hands immediately started wandering. She grabbed Maggie's ass and pulled their hips together, causing Maggie to moan and plaster herself against Lucy. "I might have lied about wanting to leave," Lucy said as she used her right hand to palm one of Maggie's breasts through her clothing. 

"I can tell,” Maggie gasped as she arched into Lucy's hand, unable to catch her breath. 

"Let me touch you?" Lucy asked, her voice low. Maggie could only nod and as soon as she did, Lucy flicked open the button on her jeans, pulled the zipper down, and pushed her hand inside. 

Alex desperately wanted to join them, but she knew Maggie wouldn't appreciate her disobeying her implied order. She couldn't even see them very well. She could hear Maggie's moans, though, and she knew what those moans meant. She could hear the rhythmic thuds against the wall. She could hear Lucy encouraging Maggie with, "That's it," and "Just like that," and it was killing her. She balled her hands into fists to stop herself from crying out, to stop herself from touching herself, to stop herself from doing anything Maggie or Lucy wouldn't like. It barely worked. Then she heard Maggie coming, the little sigh she always made afterwards, and Alex whimpered. She wouldn't be getting any release that night, and she wasn't sure if that made it better or worse. Then, the door was opening and closing, and Lucy was gone.

***

“Karaaaaa,” Alex whined, “it’s the first weekend we’ve had together since we stopped fighting. I wanna actually spend it with my girlfriend.” Alex pouted from her place on Kara’s couch.

“Aaaaalleeexxxx,” Kara fake whined back, “it’s just a couple of drinks. You’ll have the whole rest of the weekend to yourselves. We all have the night off and J’onn’s back and I defeated that giant wasp thing the other day and we should go out.” Kara bounced in her seat as she pouted at Alex. “C'mon.” She threw herself onto the couch beside Alex as she pleaded. “It’ll be fun! And I bet I can even get Lucy to come. Vasquez told me you guys were friends again.” 

Alex sighed. She had already given in when Kara asked the first time. “Fine,” she said, “just let me text Maggie before I forget.” Alex opened up the group text she had with Maggie and Lucy. It would be easier to break the news to both of them at once.

***

Was there a word after tight? Alex couldn’t think of one, but if there was, it would describe Lucy’s jeans perfectly. Alex wanted to put her hands all over them. She wanted to drag Lucy into the bathroom and make out with her until Maggie forced them to stop. She wanted to peel them off of her. Instead, the only thing she could do was sip the one beer she was having that night and try not to stare. She didn’t do a very good job.

“See something you like, Alex?” Lucy murmured to Alex as she came to sit beside her at the table. 

“Yes, ma’am,” Alex responded just as quietly and then she watched Lucy’s pupils dilate. She got hand on her thigh and a hard squeeze for her trouble. 

Their look held until James sat down a minute later. He was quickly followed by Winn. Lucy let go of Alex’s thigh and brought her hand back up above the table. “Thanks for holding down the fort while we got drinks for everyone,” James said. Winn put down the last of the drinks, a vodka soda for Lucy that she subtly pushed aside. 

Maggie and Kara walked in together before the conversation could start back up, Kara clapping her hands when she saw the fruity drink full of alien alcohol sitting on the table for her. 

“Hey babe,” Maggie said as she leaned over Lucy and dropped a kiss on Alex’s lips. She rested a hand on Lucy’s shoulder as she did it and gave it a light squeeze when she pulled away. She rounded the table and sat on Alex’s other side. Lucy’s hand found Alex’s thigh again, this time much higher than before, as Maggie draped an arm over Alex’s shoulders and started playing with the edge of her collar. Between the two of them, Alex was already distracted. She knew she wasn’t allowed to show it. 

“So, Kara, where’s J’onn?” Alex asked as she tried to get into the conversation.

***

Alex was going crazy. Maggie’s hand was firmly on her ass as she tried to play pool against Lucy. That she was between shots didn’t matter. Her jean clad ass had already earned a couple of sharp swats. Once for missing the six ball in the side pocket and a second for being, “too distracting,” to Lucy. She hadn’t actually done anything, but Lucy’s grin when Maggie’s hand made contact made it worth it. She wondered how much longer they had to stay as she pressed back into Maggie’s hand. It got her another slap and she shuddered.

She was ready to go home. She was beyond ready. If Maggie told her to crawl out of the bar, she would ignore the sticky floor and do it if it meant getting to go home. Even if Maggie told her to let Lucy win, she would hate it, but she would do it. She jumped when Maggie subtly pushed up the back of her shirt and scratched at the small of her back. Lucy finally missed a shot. Maggie pulled her back before she could reach the pool table. "We're leaving in five minutes. The table better be cleared by then," Maggie said quietly before letting Alex go. She motioned Lucy over and started whispering in her ear. Alex had to shake herself to refocus on the table in front of her. There were only a few balls left, but they were in awkward positions, and she knew if she missed one, and Lucy got to take over again, there was no way they would all be in the pockets in less than five minutes. 

Alex took a deep breath then started. The first three were fairly easy, but the fourth required a banked shot and a lot of backspin. It was her only option. She could feel Lucy and Maggie's eyes on her as she set up the shot and pulled back her cue. She shot then held her breath while the cue ball skidded around the table. Maggie was looking at her watch as the last ball fell into the pocket. 

"Ten seconds too late, Danvers," Maggie said. Lucy was smirking beside her. Alex had no idea if Maggie was lying or not but it didn't matter. She would take whatever punishment they wanted to give her. "Go say goodbye to Kara," Maggie said as she places a chaste kiss on Alex's lips. "We'll be in the car."

Alex walked over to Kara and spontaneously wrapped her in a hug. "Maggie and I are taking off," she said. Kara hugged her back only a little too tightly. 

"You're ab– absconding with Lucy too, right? Because the way you three have been looking at each other…" Kara trailed off and smiled a drunk little smile. "You should go have fun!" Alex was glad she had caught Kara away from James, Winn, and J'onn because she knew she turned bright red as soon as Kara mentioned Lucy and the teasing wouldn't end. It was hard to be threatening when you were a submissive mess.

"Thanks, Kara," Alex said before she pulled away and followed Maggie and Lucy out of the bar.

***

Maggie and Lucy were languidly making out by the time Alex joined them, but they pulled away from each other once they realized Alex was there. Lucy, particularly, had an evil glint in her eye.

"Take off your shirt and your bra and hand them to Maggie," Lucy ordered. Alex was bright red again but she did as she was told. This has to be Lucy’s influence. Maggie had never ordered her to go topless in public. It had always been voluntary. The order alone was enough to make Alex’s nipples hard, but Lucy reached out to play with them anyway. Alex's skin was cool against Lucy's hands, and Lucy wanted to do so much more than tease Alex, but she and Maggie had agreed that it would wait until until they got back to the apartment. Alex couldn’t stop herself from arching into Lucy's hands so she wasn’t paying attention when Maggie stuck her hand in her own pocket and came out with a pair of nipple clamps. She passed them to Lucy. 

Alex hated nipple clamps. No, she _loathed_ them. She pressed her chest out anyway to make it easier for Lucy to put them on. Lucy tugged on the chain hanging between them until Alex stepped forward. As soon as she was close, Lucy pulled her down into a kiss. “Don’t worry,” Lucy murmured, “you only have to keep them on until we get back to the apartment.” She tugged at the chain again and Alex sucked in a breath. It was a twenty minute drive back to Alex and Maggie’s. Then Lucy unfastened the button on Alex’s pants and pulled down the zipper. Were they really going to make her strip in the parking lot? But Maggie opened the door to Lucy’s SUV and Lucy pushed Alex toward the front seat. Alex stumbled in. Lucy got in the driver’s seat and Maggie got in the back. 

“We were going to let you come on our way home,” Maggie whispered to Alex, though it was audible to Lucy as well, “but you couldn’t meet my challenge, so now you just get to touch yourself until we get there.”

Alex whimpered but stuck her hand down the front of her pants anyway. “Yes, ma’am,” she said. She was already so wet and the way the clamps were pulling at her nipples was making her wetter. She pushed her fingers into herself as Lucy started to drive.

***

As soon as they got inside, Alex’s pants hit the floor. It was hard to get her shoes off with the fabric around her ankles but she managed.

Maggie said, “bedroom, now,” before Alex could question what she needed to do next. Laid out on the bed were restraints and a blindfold. Alex stood at the foot of the bed and waited for Maggie and Lucy to join her and tell her what to do. 

When Lucy walked in, she had a stack of index cards in her hand and Alex looked at her curiously. Lucy sat the stack on the nightstand and said, “nothing you need to worry about,” before she closed in on Alex and tugged at the chain between her nipples again. She had done it periodically the entire drive back to the apartment, and Alex's nipples were sore in the best way. She was already on edge from having to masturbate the entire ride home without coming. It wouldn't take much to push her over the edge, and she knew the night was just getting started. Lucy tugged one last time on the nipple clamps before she started to take them off. Alex was starting to sway from the pain as the blood came rushing back to her nipples, but then Maggie was behind her, wrapping her arms around Alex and holding her in place.

"Undress Lucy for me," Maggie said as she carefully pushed Alex the short distance to Lucy. 

Alex reached out for Lucy's shirt only to be interrupted by Lucy with an, "on your knees." Alex dropped without having to think about it. She managed to get Lucy's shirt off with only a little assistance from Maggie. Then she leaned in and popped the button on Lucy's pants with her mouth and hoped that Lucy appreciated the maneuver. She wasn't ready to start getting punished for anything. Luckily, Lucy just chuckled. "I'm going to remember you can do that," she said as Alex pulled down her zipper and started helping her out of her pants. Once those were off, Lucy stepped away. “That’s good enough for now,” she said as she stood there in nothing but her bra and a pair of panties. 

Alex turned to help Maggie as well only to find her similarly clad. Maggie walked over to the bed and picked up the blindfold. “Step one,” she said as she walked back over to Alex. If this was step _one_ , what had the car been? Maggie looped the blindfold around Alex’s head and pulled it tight. Lucy grabbed the restraints and gently drew Alex’s hand behind her before placing them around Alex’s wrists. 

This has been the part Lucy was most concerned about when she and Maggie spoke but Maggie assured her it wouldn’t bring up memories of Alex’s arrest. Lucy carefully looked over Alex just to be sure. Everything seemed fine and Alex knew how to say something if it wasn’t. 

Maggie started running her fingers through Alex's hair, and Alex got progressively more relaxed. It was their own private ritual. With just that touch, Alex knew everything was going to be okay. Maggie would take care of her. She heard footsteps moving across the rug. It must have been Lucy, because Maggie was still petting her. The footsteps came closer until they stopped right in from of her. "Spread your legs," Lucy commanded and Alex obeyed. She got a, "good girl," from Lucy and it made her blush. Lucy's hand traced the edge of her face and she could feel it when Lucy bent down. Lucy leaned in for a kiss and Alex happily reciprocated. "You're going to be a good girl for us tonight, right?" Lucy asked.

"Yes, ma'am," Alex replied. 

"You're going to do what we tell you to do?" Lucy continued. 

"Yes, ma'am," Alex said again.

"Good. That's what we thought you'd say," Lucy continued to run her fingers along the side of Alex's face. "We've decided to reward you," Lucy said. Alex sucked in a breath. Reward her? What did that even mean? "We're going to let you choose what happens tonight." 

Alex gaped. Lucy lightly scratched down Alex's neck to one of her breasts and circled one of her nipples with her nail. "We're going to give you a series of choices and we'll do whatever you say. Is that okay with you?"

"Ye– Yes, ma'am," Alex said. She was so confused. This had to be Lucy's idea. Maggie was much more straightforward about what she wanted. 

"Good girl," Lucy said. She pressed a kiss to Alex's forehead. "Now, one or two?"

"I… I don't know. I–," what did that even mean? Alex wasn't sure what Lucy was getting at. Was this what she was supposed to choose? How was she supposed to choose if she didn't know what each choice was?

"Just pick one, Alex," Maggie said from above her. She brought her hands to Alex's shoulders. Alex wished she could see her right now. Maybe that would make this easier. Which one did they want her to pick? Was there a wrong answer? "It's going to be okay. Just pick."

"Two," Alex blurted out then she winced. 

"Good choice," Lucy said. Then Alex heard the distinctive sound of a vibrator humming. Had one of them been holding it the entire time? Suddenly it was circling her clit and Alex was shaking. Maggie? Lucy? One of them moved it toward her entrance and pushed it in. Alex kept shaking but it was less intense now. Maggie's hands were back in her hair.

"Shhh," Maggie whispered, "Just breathe through it." Alex nodded because what else could she do, and tried to follow Maggie's command. She took a deep breath, then another, before the vibrations stopped feeling so intense and she stopped shaking. 

Lucy said, "good girl," as she leaned in and kissed Alex. "I'm going to fuck you with that vibrator now. That's number two." Lucy made good on her word and started pulling the vibrator out only to push it back in again. She built into rhythm while Maggie rubbed Alex's shoulders and tried to keep her calm. Alex was anything but calm. Her hips rocked in time with Lucy's thrusts and she was fighting not to come. It was so hard, but neither of her doms had given her permission yet. 

"One, two, or three?" Maggie asked. She nuzzled Alex's neck. "Pick one and then you get to come." 

Alex could barely even tell what they were asking of her, but she answered, "One," as decisively as she could. It sounded weak to her own ears. Lucy immediately stopped fucking her and Alex whined. Maggie released the chain linking Alex’s arms together. 

“We’re moving to the bed, babe,” Maggie said. “That’s all.” She helped Alex to her feet and caught her when her knees wobbled. It was only a few steps to the bed and she found it easily with Maggie and Lucy both there to guide her. 

The bed dipped and the vibrator returned to her cunt. Lucy was being merciless now while Maggie drew Alex’s hands above her head and fastened the cuffs back together. She held them there while Lucy slid the vibrator from Alex’s cunt and circled her clit. Alex couldn’t stop herself then, she didn’t know if she was supposed to be waiting for permission or not, but she was rushing over the edge whether Lucy and Maggie wanted her to or not. She arched up off of the bed and exhaled as her orgasm rushed through her. 

Maggie kept Alex’s arms pinned down as Lucy kept the vibrator against her clit. 

“One or two,” Lucy asked again. Alex couldn’t think clearly. Two had been good before. Maybe it would be again. So that was how she answered again. 

Lucy immediately moved the vibrator away. Alex wasn’t sure if that was good or bad but Maggie still had her hands and that mitigated her nervousness. She didn’t know what Lucy was about to do, but she knew Maggie would take care of her. 

Alex heard the unsnapping of a bra and the whisper of fabric. Then she heard the strike of a match. Burns were way too extreme for them, so it had to be for something else. Then Lucy was beside her, naked skin pressed against naked skin. She was kissing across the top of Alex’s chest and had a hand on Alex’s stomach, and, God, Alex just wanted to be able to see. Lucy was still pressed against her when Alex felt the first streak of heat across the top of her breasts. She sharply sucked in a breath and hadn’t exhaled when she felt more heat on her right nipple. Her left was quickly given the same treatment. As the wax cooled, the mellow warmth actually felt good again her sore nipples, but is wasn’t going to last for long. As soon as the wax was solid, Lucy was peeling it off of her. Maggie and Lucy built up a rhythm as Maggie poured the wax and Lucy removed it. Alex squirmed as she became a canvas for their abstract painting. Something about the repetition, the way the sensation built up, had Alex arching her hips and squirming. 

Finally the wax stopped dripping down and Lucy peeled the last bit off of her. She nuzzled into Alex’s neck and kissed her there, just above her collar. Alex caught her breath, and then Lucy was on top of her, pushing one of her legs between Alex’s thighs. Alex moaned. She pushed back against Lucy’s thigh, and she could feel the trail of wetness she was leaving there. Lucy kissed her and kept pushed her thigh down. “I want you to come like this for me,” she said. “I want you to come riding my thigh. Can you do that for me, pretty girl?” 

Alex nodded emphatically and whined. Words were too hard. She wriggled around until she got to an angle she knew would work. She spread her legs a bit more and pressed up until she could feel Lucy’s thigh against her clit. Then she started moving. Maggie unclipped the restraints and guided Alex’s arms until they were wrapped around Lucy. They tingled with increased blood flow, but it only added to everything else. Alex moved, driven entirely by instinct. She wanted to come; she needed to come. The blindfold made every touch that much more intense, and she wasn’t going to last long. She hoped Lucy didn’t care. She rutted against Lucy’s thigh. Her second orgasm snuck up on her and her hips jerked upward. Lucy held Alex tighter as Alex floated back to herself. 

Alex was exhausted, but that didn’t mean anything. They would stop when they wanted to stop and not a second before. Still, Maggie and Lucy gently, soothingly, ran their hands over her body. Maggie helped her lift her head and untied the blindfold. “You’re doing so well, babe. You’re being so good,” Maggie said as she looked down at Alex. Alex was blinking against the sudden light but she tried to make eye contact with Maggie anyway. 

Meanwhile, Lucy had tucked herself into Alex’s side. She trailed a finger down Alex’s stomach, all the way to her cunt. She ran her fingers through the hair there before she found Alex’s clit. Alex whimpered and squirmed away just a little. 

“Shhhh,” Maggie said. “You’re okay. You’re good.” She wiped damp hair from Alex’s forehead as Lucy kept touching her. Lucy didn’t stay on her overly sensitive clit for too long before she was moving her fingers down further and pushing them into Alex. 

“Be good and relax for me,” Lucy whispered in Alex’s ear. Alex tensed for a moment before trying to obey Lucy’s order. It was hard to relax on cue but Maggie’s hands on her skin made it easier. Lucy pushed a second finger into Alex and started fucking her more forcefully. Alex shouted when Lucy curled her fingers up. Lucy just kept going, just kept fucking her. She sped up; she pushed harder. Alex couldn’t tell anymore. Colors were bursting behind her eyes. Maggie lifted her up a bit and slid behind her to hold her. Suddenly, Maggie was whispering in her ear. 

“Come for me, Alex,” Maggie said. 

“Not yet,” Lucy growled as she interrupted Maggie. 

Alex didn’t know what to do. She whimpered in confusion as Lucy kept fucking her, kept pushing her fingers inside. She writhed in Maggie’s arms and started begging, “Please, please, please,” as the contrary orders continued. She just wanted to know what she was supposed to do. She just wanted to be good, but she couldn’t be good for both of them at the same time. What was she supposed to do? Everything was overwhelming and amazing and she had never felt so wet, so open. She wanted _more_. 

Somehow Lucy knew and pushed another finger into her, and Alex wasn’t sure if it was three or four. She didn’t care. She just wanted to feel full. She just wanted to feel. She just wanted… everything narrowed down to Lucy and Maggie and their skin and their hands and their voices. Nothing existed outside of that. Maggie encouraging her and Lucy telling her to wait didn’t even matter anymore. It wasn’t her decision. She would come when they let her come. She belonged to them now. 

Lucy smirked. Alex was exactly where she wanted her to be. She was completely gone and it was amazing. She looked up and caught Maggie’s eye. Maggie was just as focused on Alex as Lucy was. Her pupils were blown wide and sweat covered her skin as she held Alex against her. Lucy had a feeling Maggie was as wet as she was right then. Just watching Alex was enough to bring Lucy to the edge. “I think it might be time,” Lucy said. 

She got an “mmhmm,” in response from Maggie. She focused on Alex again. 

“That’s it, Alex,” Lucy said, “that’s a good girl. You’ve been so good.” Maggie kissed Alex’s temple as Lucy continued, “don’t worry, you can come now.” 

With those words, Alex let go. Everything turned to blinding white and she forgot to breathe for a long moment. It went beyond just pleasure to something else, something Alex couldn’t describe. Then she passed out.

***

When Alex woke up again, Maggie and Lucy were each curled up along her sides and she felt so content. Lucy had a giant grin on her face and Maggie was smiling softly.

“Wha’ happened?” Alex asked. Her mouth was dry. Maggie grabbed a bottle of water and helped Alex sit up where she could drink it. Once she was finished, she laid back down and snuggled further into the nest created my Maggie and Lucy. She felt amazing. 

"You passed out," Lucy said, her smile somehow getting wider. Her eyes twinkled. 

"Oh," it was all Alex could think to say. She'd never done that during sex before. Maybe that was why she still felt like she was about to levitate off of the bed, like Maggie and Lucy's arms were the only things holding her down. "'M… 'm sorry," Passing out was probably bad. She looked down and the restraints were gone from her wrists. Was the scene over? Had she forced it to end? 

"Hey, no. You don't need to apologize," Maggie said. "You were perfect." She nuzzled against Alex's jaw and kissed her cheek. 

"Okay," Alex said. She was still uncertain, but they didn't seem upset. She fell silent and just floated in the good feelings that were returning. She shivered and immediately got wrapped up in a blanket. She reached for a hand and one was there, holding hers. She didn't try to think. It felt like she laid there for hours. 

Eventually, she started to come back to herself. She flexed her feet and stretched her legs before fighting out of the blanket to stretch the rest of her body. Then she rolled onto her side facing Lucy. "Thank you," she said as she kissed Lucy. She offered herself to Lucy through the kiss and Lucy accepted, drawing Alex in. On her other side, Maggie scooted closer to Alex and wrapped an arm around her waist. She just put a hand on Lucy's hip as Alex and Lucy made out. Lucy eventually ended the kiss. 

"You were amazing," Lucy said. Alex blushed. She found Maggie's arm and laid her arm along side it. 

"You were," Maggie said as she kissed the space behind Alex's ear. "You were beautiful. You were perfect." 

Alex preened. She couldn't help it. She rolled over into Maggie's arms. "Thank you," she murmured and leaned in to kiss Maggie. With a light touch to Alex's back, Lucy got out of the bed and headed toward the bathroom to let Alex and Maggie have a moment alone together. 

Alex pressed herself into Maggie but pulled out of the kiss. "Thank you," She kissed Maggie's cheek and down her neck and suddenly the kisses weren't so innocent anymore. She rolled Maggie onto her back and started kissing down to Maggie's chest. She took one of Maggie's nipples into her mouth and started sucking on it. Maggie moaned and pressed her breasts up. Alex found Maggie's other nipple with her hand and rubbed her thumb across it. She let go with her mouth and lifted her head up to check in with Maggie, to see if everything was okay. Maggie's dimples told her it was, encouraged her to go further. A hand on Alex's shoulder pushed her toward where Maggie really wanted her. 

Alex was just settling between Maggie's legs when Lucy came back into the bedroom. She only raised an eyebrow as she resumed her place on the bed. They were going to have to change the sheets before they went to sleep. Maggie looked over at Lucy just as Alex started licking her and Lucy leaned in for a kiss. This time it was Lucy threading her fingers into Alex's hair, keeping her in place against Maggie's cunt. Alex moaned at the feeling. She was trying to take her time, but it still only took Alex a few minutes to push Maggie over the edge. She wanted to keep going, but Lucy tightened her fingers in Alex's hair and pulled her up. She said, "My turn," before dragging Alex over to her.

***

It was late the next morning when the three of them started to stir. It had been well into the early hours before they had exhausted themselves with each other, but now everything was peaceful. Somehow, Lucy had ended up in the middle again, though she was sure she had fallen asleep on Alex’s other side. Alex still looked exhausted, but it felt like Maggie was waking up too. The arm snaking its way around her waist gave Maggie away. Maggie nuzzled into the back of Lucy’s neck.

“She’ll sleep for another few hours unless we wake her up,” Maggie whispered sleepily. 

Lucy shook her head and said, “Let her sleep,” in a sleep rough voice. She got a kiss to her shoulder blade in return. 

“Feel like joining me in the shower then?” Maggie asked. She was already untangling herself from Lucy and Alex. 

“Yeah,” Lucy said. “That sounds nice.”

***

Alex stumbled into the living room dressed in boxers and a loose tee shirt and yawned. The tv was on, CNN on the screen and the volume turned low. Alex rounded the couch and found Lucy stretched out along it looking half asleep. Lucy’s eyes opened and she met Alex’s.

“You’re still here,” Alex said as she smiled. 

“Mmhmm,” Lucy responded. “Maggie made me promise.” It hadn’t been hard to convince Lucy not to leave. “She’s out getting breakfast. She said she was too sore to cook,” Lucy half shrugged. 

She refused to move from her comfy spot in the couch and once Alex realized that, she simply perched on the edge. “I’m not sure _Maggie_ is the one who gets to complain about being sore.” 

Lucy chuckled and reached out for Alex. She tugged her down until they were laying on the couch together. “I didn’t hear you complaining last night,” Lucy said as she rubbed Alex’s hip. 

“Not complaining now,” Alex said as she grinned and snuggled closer. “Thank you for last night. I’ve never… I've never felt quite like that before.”

“Neither have I,” Lucy said. She kissed Alex lightly. 

“Mmm,” was Alex’s only response as she curled into Lucy and fell back asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that’s the end.
> 
> Thank you, thank you, thank you for coming on this journey with me. This is the longest thing I’ve ever written, but I never thought I wouldn’t finish it because you guys, and your super thoughtful comments, have been excellent cheerleaders and motivators. 
> 
> I’m in no way finished with this universe and I’m happy to take prompts on my tumblr. 
> 
> And if any of you guys are going to be at Clexacon later this week, we should say hi to each other!

**Author's Note:**

> Two things: 
> 
>  
> 
> 1\. Comments are the best thing ever.
> 
> 2\. I’m on tumblr at twtd11


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